A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals
by Alexpv22
Summary: This is an anthology series set around Lincoln and his new crew of friends. Each oneshot takes them on a new adventure. There will be laughter, thrills, heartfelt moments and even a little romance here and there. So, if you're anxious for more Gal Pals goodness; come and join the fun
1. Beach Blanket Bejeebers

(Disclaimer: I do not own the Loud House or any of its characters. They are all property of Nickelodeon, Chris Savino and the Loud House creative team. This is purely a fanfiction piece; so, please...don't sue me)

Beach Blanket Bejeebers with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: It's the first weekend of Summer Vacation and on the first weekend of break, the Gal Pals are itchin' for some beach day fun. Only problem is...a certain white-haired pal of theirs is not quite so anxious about the idea...and no one knows why. Will the gals be able to help him remember his love of the sand, sun and surf?)

In a far off part of Royal Woods, Michigan; we come to a charming split-level house. Inside, one Carol Pingrey is hard at work; packing many items into a large travel bag. "This is gonna be so much fun" she says with excitement, "I hope I've brought enough sunscreen with me."

Upon thinking this, she takes a quick peek inside and the "viewer" notices a dozen or so bottles stored within the bag; along with her beach clothes, a couple of bikinis, one or two pairs of sunglasses, a waterproof phone and other items. After a few seconds of mentally checking off each item; Carol out a sigh of relief, apparently pleased that she hadn't forgotten anything. Then, she looks ahead of her and sees the viewer watching her.

"Oh, hello there" she greets happily, "you must be Linky's friends; it's so nice to finally meet you!" Carol then notices that everyone is "looking" down at her bag and she smiles. "I'll bet you're wondering what I'm packing all this stuff for, right" she asks, "well, it's Summer Break; which means it's the perfect time for a _BEACH PARTY!_"

Carol then goes into detail about everything she has planned, when the big day arrives. "See...for the past day or so; the other Gal Pals and I planned a big beach party day for us and our dear lil' pal, Lincoln Loud" she says with great excitement, "we're talkin' dancing, beachside barbecues, sunbathing, surfing (for those of us who can) and even some ice cream to help cool us off!" She then notices everyone looking at her rather oddly, as if confused.

"Oh, you're all probably wondering who the 'Gal Pals' I'm talking about are; right" questioned Carol, "well...let me give you a quick 411, to help bring you guys up to speed." After this, she takes out her phone and begins to play a sort of slideshow featuring herself and a group of friends. Said slideshow included images from Lincoln's first meeting with herself and her friends (Whitney and Becky,) Jordan's Spring Break pool party, Lincoln's poetry reading at the Burnt Bean, his time at Dr. Lopez's office and of course, the infamous trial.

"Long story short; the poor lil' guy had gone through the wringer due to some family troubles, throughout most of Spring Break" sighed Carol, "but in the end, things turned out great for everybody." Within moments, she brings up another slideshow on her phone. This one included the Loud Family's regaining their social lives/proper social statuses back, a small group of them entering Anger Management, Lynn Sr. and Rita taking some much needed parenting classes and more.

"But do you know what the best part was" Carol asked, "by order of the court; me, Whit, Becky and Dana are now Linky's legal guardians!" This caused the young lady to squeal with joy; so much so that it disturbed the sleep of her pet corgi, Alistair. "Whoops...sorry about that, guys" she muttered with a shy blush, "I'm just so happy; Lincoln has become so dear to me, after everything we've gone through together...and I want to give him some great Summer memories!"

It was here that she gestured at her beach bag full of supplies. "That is what all of this is for, you see" Carol said with a chuckle, "since it's the first weekend of Summer Break, I planned a beach day for all of us and I am totes excited." After taking one final look to see if she had everything, the young teen smiled and brought up her contact list. "Time to call up the rest of the gang and get things rolling" she said with glee, "I just hope everyone's ready for today."

The first number she dialed was that of Becky; who, back at _her_ house, was midway through putting together her own supplies. "Got the a-okay from my folks...so long as I bring Paige along with me" Becky stated, "but I'm cool with that, she's been needing to get out in the sun lately." No sooner had she said this, a younger voice suddenly shouted out "SAYS THE GIRL WHO SPENT THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF BREAK IN HER ROOM, TEXTING" in retort.

The two teenage girls giggled softly and then, Carol called up Whitney next. Within seconds, the aforementioned poofy-haired blonde answered and looked as though she was trying to fit a swimming cap over her poofy ponytail. "I thought we talked about this, Whit" Carol groaned, "you said you'd stop worrying about your hair getting wet, after swimming or a shower!"

On the screen, Whitney stuck out her tongue slightly at her friend; while desperately trying to pull the cap over her head. "I know I promised" she whined, "but when this poof of mine gets wet, it feels like I'm carrying a cannonball on the back of my head." Upon hearing all this, there was a sudden silence between the two girls.

Then, five seconds later; they suddenly burst out into a jolly fit of laughter. "Guess you kinda got me there, Whit" chuckled Carol, "just...try not to take too long in getting ready, while I round up the rest of the gang; okay?" With that said; both ladies winked at one another, murmured "see you when I see ya" in unison and brought their phone conversation to an end.

After that, Carol brought up Dana's number next and pressed speed dial. Within seconds, the young brunette answered and waved hello to her bestie. "Looks like somebody's excited for our Beach Day" Carol said with a giggle, "it's okay, so am I." On the other line, Dana said she recently bought a new bikini she'd been anxious to try on.

"Hope it's nothing too skimpy, D" Carol said knowingly, "not only would your folks be steamed, if it is...but just imagine if a certain someone got a look at you while wearing it." Upon hearing the mention of a "certain someone," Dana's face began to blush a deep red. "Carol, shut uuuup" she whined softly, "you know how much I hate it when you tease me about Linky!"

The young blonde wiped a joyful tear from her eye and told her friend she was only kidding. "I just don't want our lil' buddy to have a nosebleed, when he sees us" she stated, "I'm talking about the kind his friend, Clyde gets when he would think about Lori." After taking a moment to wipe that image out of her head, Dana assured her friend that her suit would be both sexy yet tasteful.

"Chaz is pretty excited too" she added, "he needs a vacay, after pushing his brain too much to prep for exams." As if on cue; Chaz, while dressed in swim trunks, trudges by while tiredly muttering algebra equations under his breath. Carol suddenly winced with dismay, upon seeing her elder male friend in such a state.

"I can totally relate, D" she stated, "after finals, I was stuck repeating the Gettysburg Address in my head for a day and a half." As both ladies shared a laugh at the mildly bitter memory, they both talked about the eventual beach party. "I checked the weather on my phone and it promises to be wonderful" Dana said with glee, "let's just hope the rest of the gang will be open for some fun in the sun too."

After that conversation ended, Carol began ringing up the rest of the Gal Pals; along with a few other good friends as well. With each call she made, she received equally excited replies to the beach party.

Phoebe: Totally, I've been anxious to get out into the sun and chill for quite a while; count me in.

Cici: My folks say it's alright with them, as long as I don't swim after eating...you know how it is.

Stella: A beach party, sounds _awesome_; I'll just have to clear it with my folks first.

(Fifteen Seconds Later)

Stella: It's all good, I'll see you there.

Jordan: A beach day sounds like a great idea, count me in.

Haiku: Normally, it is in my nature to avoid the sun. But if there is a chance for me to get buried in the sand, I'll take it.

Kat: Sure thing, Carol; things have been kinda dull at home lately. A little shore-side fun is just what I need.

Cristina: Sounds like a great idea; I'll call you back, once I get the approval from my folks.

One by one, every member of the Gal Pals shared their excitement and their approval of Carol's beach day idea. She later discovered that Joey was planning on joining them as well. The only one left to invite was her young charge, Lincoln Loud.

(Line Break)

Meanwhile, at the Loud Residence; Lincoln was sitting comfortably in his closet bedroom contently reading his Ace Savvy comics. When suddenly, his cellphone started to ring; causing Lincoln to fall off his bed in shock. "I knew I should've put my phone on vibrate before reading" he muttered, "wonder who could be calling me at this time of day?"

After taking a moment to dust himself off; Lincoln sat himself back on the bed, picked up the phone and answered it. In an instant, a familiar high school blonde appeared on the small screen and waved at Lincoln merrily. "Hey, hey, hey; Linky" she said in greeting, "how's my lil' man doing this morning."

Upon seeing his friend/guardian's face, Lincoln suddenly forgot about his earlier spill and waved back with equal joy. "Morning, Carol" he said with a toothy grin, "just chillin' in my room with a new comic." The high schooler suddenly found herself gawking at Lincoln in astonishment, as if shocked by this news.

"I'm guessing it's a quiet day up at your place" inquired Carol, "which is...admittedly weird, when you think about it." Lincoln gave a little chuckle at her statement before sharing his own disbelief on the situation. "I know, it's weird to see the 'Loud' House appear so calm and quiet" he stated, "but Officer Campos took Lily, Lana and Lisa down to Ketchum Park today, while her partners went off on duty for the morning."

Mildly confused, Carol asked why his parents couldn't take them all to the park instead. But then, she remembered the court order and immediately withdrew her earlier question. "Anyway...wow is everybody doing with their community work and classes, pal" questioned Carol, "has Lori become more level-headed yet?"

Lincoln paused for a few seconds and then, gave his friend a "so-so" hand gesture; describing his sister's situation as "a work in progress." "My mom actually convinced them that community service wasn't so bad" he informed, "the other day, they cleaned up the park and got the place spick and span in less than fifteen minutes." Lincoln then said that during the extra free time, the family was actually given time to relax.

"That's so awesome to hear, Linc" Carol said with great praise, "but how about their classes, are things just as good there?" The moment he was asked this, Lincoln's joyful demeanor shifted into a look of mild discomfort. "Yeah, about that...Long story short, some of them are showing signs of improvement; specifically Lori and Luan (to a degree)" he stated, "but Lynn and Lola on the other hand...well, two days ago, there was a sort of...incident involving one of them during Anger Management."

(Scene Cut to the Anger Management Class; where we find Lori, Lola, Lynn Jr. and Lisa in attendance)

At the seminar, the instructor surprises everyone by revealing that he invited Leni to come and join in on their session. "Why bring her here" Lynn asked, "she's the least angry member of our family...unless you get in her way, when a big sale happens." Leni couldn't help but agree with her words, recalling the many times she went...a little "Cray Cray" during any clothing sales at the mall.

"Your sister isn't here to join you and the others, Lynn" said the instructor, "she's here to _help_ you all with today's lesson on patience." After saying this, he turned toward Leni and asked her to pretend she'd dropped her purse while out for a walk. After a short while; the young blonde nodded in understanding, placed the strap of her purse over her right shoulder, took a few paces and let it fall onto the floor.

"Okay, ladies; time to begin our lesson" said the instructor, "you see someone drop a personal item (a purse, in this case) on the ground while walking...what do you do next?" For a moment or two, the four ladies simply stared dumbfounded at the man. Then, Lynn raised her hand and asked what the lesson had to do with patience?

"That is a very good question, Junior" the instructor said simply, "why not come up and try the demonstration for yourself?" Still feeling rather confused; the young jock approached her elder sister, plucked the purse off the floor and presented it to her. "Uh...excuse me, Leni" she muttered as politely as she could, "I think you might've dropped this while walking."

Upon hearing this, Leni soon began to study the purse intently; as if uncertain if it was her own possession. Then, fifteen seconds later; she shrugged her shoulders and softly muttered "I don't think that's mine." Confused by this statement, Lynn tried to give the purse back again; only for Leni to still claim it wasn't hers.

Within seconds, she started to feel her anger bubbling slowly inside of her. But in spite of that, Lynn did everything she could to keep calm. Then, she got an idea and began fishing about inside of the purse until she found a Learner's Permit ID.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here" she said softly, "but...you're name is Leni Loud, right?" After scratching her chin for bit, the young blonde smiled and gave her younger sister a nod. "Good...now, then; this thing in my hand seems to be _your_ ID" Lynn sighed, "I found _this _ID...inside of_ this_ purse; so...that must mean that it...is _yours._"

After listening to her sister's words and thinking them over, Leni came to the conclusion that she may be right. "Great, I'm glad we came to that conclusion" Lynn said with a heaving sigh, "so...do you want it back?" Much to everyone's surprise and annoyance, Leni looked at the bag again and _still_ claimed that it "wasn't hers."

Needless to say; by this point, Lynn was at the end of her rope and was ready to let everyone know it. "Why you dumb blonde bimbo" she growled, "YOU BETTER TAKE BACK THIS PURSE, YOU DITZ OR I'LL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF AND..." Before she could finish her threat, Lynn was suddenly caught in the embrace of Neko-chan; a stress relief mascot hired to help calm the girls down/calm while in Anger Management or Sensitivity Training.

Despite however much Lynn thrashed and shook about, Neko-chan still refused to release her from her hug. Meanwhile, the instructor shook his head slightly while clicking his tongue in disappointment. "That's not appropriate behavior, young lady" he said, "we must always maintain our composure, even when in the presence of someone who might wear on our patience a little...no offense, Leni dear."

The teenaged blonde shrugged off his words with a joyful smile, assuring him everything was fine. "It's all part of the lesson, after all" she stated, "plus, I know Lynn wouldn't really hurt me." While still stuck in Neko-chan's hold, the pre-teen jock gave Leni a look that seemed to say "you wanna bet on that?"

(Back to the Present)

Once the story ended, Carol found herself deep into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Oh...Oh-ho! Oh, my stomach; I can't breathe" she gasped, "n-no disrespect meant, Linc...but was Leni just _playing_ dumb or did she really not know it was her own purse Lynn was holding?" Lincoln thought on it for a bit and then said the situation might've been..."a little mix of _both_ scenarios."

The two of them laughed for a little longer until Carol suddenly remember the reason for her call. "Before I forget, Linky; I have a have big plans for the coming weekend" she said giddily, "are you ready for this...on Saturday, we're all gonna get together and have a big party down at the beach!" After this reveal, Carol looked at the phone's screen and saw Lincoln sporting a rather flabbergasted look upon his face.

"From that look, I can tell you must be excited" she stated, "just make sure you clear things up with your fam before the big day, 'kay?" While still appearing shocked, Lincoln nodded slightly and murmured "yup...count on it." "OOH! Thank you so much, Linky" Carol said gleefully, "I'll talk to ya later, just gotta do some final preparations."

After wishing Lincoln goodbye, she blew him a "sisterly" kiss and the screen quickly went black; leaving Lincoln alone in his room. After a while, he realized that the call had ended and silently plonked himself on his bed. While lying there in silence, his brain was buzzing noisily with many thoughts; half of which were those of fear and worry.

_"Carol's planning a beach day...ah, dang it"_ he thought dejectedly, _"I don't know if I should be nervous about the idea...or excited; maybe 'nervouscited' is the better word?"_ After a while, Lincoln quickly notices the viewer/reader looking at him oddly and snaps out of his thoughts. "Oh...you're all probably wondering why I'm so skeptical about Carol's trip, right" he asked, "well, it all involves...a certain memory I try very hard not to think about."

(The scene flashes to the beachside, where the Louds are seen enjoying themselves. At the same time; not too far away, we see what looks like a giant squirrel mascot standing in the sand.)

(As many beach goers pass by and giggle at the silly "creature," no one realizes that underneath the head is a young boy; namely Lincoln Loud. For hours; he is forced to either stand at his family's side or follow them around, all while acting as their "good luck charm." Through it all, Lincoln suffers many indignities; including assault from random children, gulls pooping on him, lack of proper body movement and of course, a developing skin rash; which he and others mistook for sunburn.)

"I went through the wringer, that day; just so my family wouldn't have any 'bad luck' on their trip" Lincoln murmured bitterly, "why I didn't choose to leave of my own free will is beyond me." By the end of his tirade, Lincoln suddenly found himself smiling a little. "I must admit, though; a few positives _did_ happen from that ordeal" he sighed, "that dumb mascot suit has now been outlawed by order of Judge Snapper, the court forbade my family from mentioning anymore ideas of 'bad luck' in my house _and_...I gained a new branch of great friends, after telling them the story."

Upon thinking of the Gal Pals, Lincoln turned towards his dresser and saw a framed picture from Jordan's Spring Break pool party. He crawled across his bed towards the dresser, took the picture in his hands and smiled at it. However; after a while, it slowly shifted into a long disappointed frown.

"I'm at a serious crossroads here, guys" he sighed while addressing the viewer/reader, "on one hand, I really would like to go and hang with my pals at the beach." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln began to think about all the fun he would have there. He'd be looking for seashells with Cristina, posing for photo ops with Phoebe, playing beach volleyball with Cici and Stella, going snorkeling with Jordan and who knows what else.

"But...on the other hand, I'm still a tad hesitant to go along with the idea" Lincoln muttered, "aside from the obvious squirrel thing, there have been other...equally unpleasant moments that happened to me that involved the beach in the past." With this in mind, he reached under his bed and retrieved a book that had the words "Unpleasant Memories" on the cover. "This is a little something Luan and Lola put together in the past" Lincoln sighed, "just a collection of snapshots showing awkward moments of my life."

When "asked" why he had such a book in his possession, Lincoln said he kept it hidden in his room so the two aforementioned sisters wouldn't find it. "If they did, they'd use whatever picture they desired most in this for blackmail purposes" he whispered, "not...that I have much reason to worry about that kind of thing _now,_ mind you; but you can't be too careful." With that said, he flipped through the book until he came to a page showing bad beach memories.

The very first one featured him at the age of six. "This beach day here started out well enough" Lincoln mumbled, "but then, I had a rather...'unexpected guest' drop by." As the picture comes into view, the viewer/reader sees six year old Lincoln fleeing in terror from a shark's fin. "Now, I know what you're thinking and the answer is no" he said suddenly, "I _was_ attacked that day...but not by a shark."

(Quick scene change to six years in the past)

At the beach, Lincoln is seen splashing playfully in the water. All seems to be going well...until he feels a sudden pinch knick at his feet. This feeling _did _cause him to yelp slightly with surprise, admittedly. But nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, after giving the area around him a look.

Then, twenty seconds later; he felt that same pinch happen again. This time however, it felt a little stronger; almost like a crab was pinching him. But before Lincoln could check out what was going on, he suddenly heard the sounds of a lifeguard's whistle blowing.

This was followed by the loud cries of "SHARK, SHARK" from several people on the shore; including his family. Lil' Lincoln suddenly went white with fear at this news, unsure of what to do next. Then, after taking in a nervous gulp; he looked over his shoulder and saw it...a long, grey triangle shaped dorsal fin protruding out of the water.

As the fin began to make a beeline towards him, Lincoln's pupils shrank with terror and he rushed out of the water like a bat out of the Underworld. Meanwhile, several other beach goers began to flee the shore; not wishing to get close to the alleged shark. Only a handful of people remained calm during the whole thing, The Loud Parents (Lynn Sr. and Rita) and four of their five daughters.

Now, you may be wondering where the fifth girl might be? Well, what if I were to tell you that the shark that spooked Lincoln...wasn't actually a shark? See, after our little pal found his hiding place inside the drink cooler his dad brought; Lincoln took a peek outside to see if the "shark" swam away.

What he found instead was something slowly rising up out of the water. It was tall and slender figure with "skin" as grey as a storm cloud and bulgy eyes. The sight of this thing filled Lincoln with such incredible terror, he locked himself inside of the cooler.

"IT'S SOME KINDA SHARK CREATURE" he shrieked inside of the box, "IT'S COME TO INVADE THE SURFACE AND EAT US LIKE CHUM!" Just as his fears started to get the better of him, Lincoln suddenly heard the echoes of a familiar laugh. Feeling curious, he cracked open the lid slightly and saw the same grey figure ahead of him.

Only _this_ time, he saw his parents and other sisters surrounding it; which made the poor little guy feel even more terrified. "Guys, you've gotta run" cried Lincoln, "that shark creature will eat you all alive!" Surprisingly, not one of the other four Loud Sisters seemed to listen to their brother's warning.

Instead, Lori picked the "creature" up by the back of its collar and turned her towards Lincoln's direction. The poor six year old quivered nervously, as the "creature's bulbous eyes" stared down at him. "This here isn't a real monster, baby bro" Luna said after taking a stand beside Lori, "but she certainly _acts_ like one, sometimes."

After that, she grabbed hold of the creature's "eyes" (which were actually a pair of swimming goggles) and ripped them off her head; revealing the face of a giddy Luan. Upon seeing this, Lincoln stumbled out of the cooler and scratched his head in confusion. "Wait..._you_ were the shark, Luan" he asked, "how...I only saw the fin thingy."

While still holding onto her sister, Lori turned her around and showed Lincoln the fake dorsal fin that she had attached onto her back. It was in that moment that Lincoln was, at last able to put the pieces together. "So..._you_ were the shark all along" he murmured, "_you_ were the one who kept biting me in the water!?"

Upon hearing this reveal, Rita and Lynn Sr. both gazed down at Luan with looks of utter displeasure in their eyes; causing Luan to suddenly sweat with fear. "I...I-I wasn't biting him, really" she murmured, "I was just pinching at his ankles a little, that's all." Sadly, her plea didn't seem to change how angry Luan's parents were with her.

"Even if I _was_ biting him, though; could you blame me" she asked, "he looked so adorable swimming around in the water, you could just eat him up." Upon hearing this, everyone let out a loud groan of displeasure at her distasteful pun; while Lincoln whimpered fearfully inside his box. "THAT'S WASN'T VERY FUNNY, LUAN" he cried, "I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS IN DANGER, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!?"

As Lynn Sr. and Rita prepared to voice the same complaint, they found themselves being suddenly manhandled by a burly lifeguard. Afterwards, several more lifeguards took hold of the children and the entire Loud Family was escorted off the beach; forbidden to return until further notice.

(Back to the Present)

After the story was finished, Lincoln gazed down at the disgruntled looks he and his family were giving Luan in the picture and sighed. "This was just one of those bad beach related memories, sadly" he murmured, "let us not forget the time I was expected to act as the final vote on my family's vacation destination." These bad moments in question ranged from half of his sisters putting sand in his pants (which got stuck in his crack,) Lisa tricking him into putting on Sodium Hydrochloride (disguised as a bottle of sunscreen) and making the shower water as cold as the ocean water (16.6 degrees Celsius.)

"After all that, I don't know if I'd ever want to go back to the beach again" Lincoln muttered, "but at the same time, I can't bring myself to say no to Carol or any of the Gals...I just don't know what to do." With this thought in mind, he let out a heavy sigh and threw his head back onto his pillow; wishing to take a brief rest to ease his brain. But unbeknownst to him, his thoughts didn't go completely unheard.

Just outside his door, moments ago; Officer Higgins was stepping out of the bathroom, feeling fresh as a bee from a hot shower. As she approached the steps, she suddenly overheard Lincoln talking in his room. But rather than choose to just pop in unannounced, the officer decided to stand quietly and listen in on his mild rantings.

_"I really don't want to bail and hurt the gals' feelings" _Lincoln sighed dejectedly inside his room,_ "but I really don't want to get humiliated, suffer some sort of injury and/or end up ruining their good time either...I just don't know what to do."_ After this, all was quiet inside the closet bedroom; while Higgins scratched her chin in thought. _"Sounds like lil' Lincoln's in one dilly of a pickle" _she thought to herself, _"I'd better touch base with the others and tell them about this."_

With this in mind; she brought out her cellphone and sent a text out to her partners, Simmons and Campos. After that, she went back downstairs to help Mr. Loud in the kitchen.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the three officers gathered together at the donut shop for some coffee. Mr. and Mrs. Loud had returned from the classes and took over managing the house, leaving the trio some free time to talk in private. At first; they sat together, snacked on some biscotti and shot the breeze on what happened to one another earlier that day.

Then, Higgins suddenly became rather stone-faced; which took her partners by surprise. "Yo, Jenny; why the long face all of the sudden" asked Simmons, "does your coffee taste okay...or is it something else?" For a moment, the officer in question didn't answer; feeling unsure if whether or now she should speak any further.

Then, she remembered her position as one of three of the Loud House's caretakers/sitters; which meant she had to step up, if anything seemed amiss with the family. "I'll be more than happy to tell you the details, ladies" Higgins stated, "but first, there's one other person that needs to join us." No sooner had she said this, a purple van with a yellow strip on the side pulled into the parking lot.

As the door opened, everyone spotted Carol stepping out of the driver's seat and waved at her. "What's Miss Pingrey doing here" questioned Officer Campos, "I thought this was our off-duty coffee time." In response; Higgins said everything would be made clear, once everyone was present.

Despite their lingering confusion, the other officers still nodded in agreement and watched as Carol took her seats. "Afternoon, Officers; so nice to meet with you under more pleasant circumstances" she said pleasantly, "what can I do you all for?" After taking a small sip from her coffee cup, Higgins decided to get to the point of their meeting.

"Carol...may I call you that" she asked, earning a small nod from her a split-second later; "okay...I gathered you and my partners here to talk about your little beach party coming up." Carol, suddenly growing nervous, quickly assured that she got permission to hold the event; especially from Lincoln's folks. "Don't you fret, sugar; you're more than welcome to go along with it" Higgins assured, "we might even join you."

After hearing this, Carol let out a deep sigh of relief; happy she didn't break any sort of rule. "The main reason I bring it up concerns our young friend, Lincoln Loud" Higgins stated, "apparently, the lil' man seems...afraid of going to the beach." This news took the three ladies completely by surprise.

Sure, not everyone enjoyed going to the shore; even Campos revealed she didn't quite like having the sand blowing in her hair, when it got windy. But to be _afraid_ of it, that was something they've never come across; least of all with Lincoln. "It's Summer Break, this time of year was made for going to the beach" Carol stated, "why wouldn't Lincoln want to go?"

It was here that Officer Higgins suddenly found herself hesitating a little. In her head, she wondered if she was doing the right thing in telling the ladies about Lincoln's plight. But when she saw the look of concern in Carol's eyes, she realized withholding such an issue from her would make her think she didn't trust her.

_"Much like the McBride boy, Carol has proven quite often that she's someone who'd go to the center of the world and back for Lincoln" _Higgins thought, _"I probably...no, I should _definitely_ tell her!"_ With her mind made up, Higgins began to tell the ladies everything she heard. "I didn't get much, I'm afraid" she murmured dejectedly, "but from what I heard outside his door, Lincoln kept saying how worried he is about ruining the trip for everybody with his fears.

While this statement _did_ help shine a little light on the situation, Carol still felt a little confused. "Why would he be worried about ruining the party" she asked, "and what does this have to do with him being afraid of the beach?" With a defeated sigh, Higgins said that she didn't hear the full amount of Lincoln's rantings.

"The only other thing I heard was him saying how worried he is about something happening during the outing" she muttered, "he's worried he'll end up humiliated or something will happen that might anger everyone or...or that he might suffer an injury." The last part of her statement came out a little uneasily, due to overall grievous nature of the idea. But soon after she said it, everyone suddenly came to the same realization.

"How could I have been so foolish" Carol scolded herself bitterly, "between his sisters' actions when he tried to decide on a family trip and the skin rash he got from that dumb costume, the beach must've left a very negative impression on him." With all this in mind, the ladies unanimously agreed that something had to be done. "But what can _we_ do" inquired Carol, "I can't simply force Linky to come with us and he will, no doubt feel discouraged about feeling left out."

For a moment, none of the three officers could think of an appropriate answer; much to their dismay. Much like Carol, they also didn't want Lincoln's fears to hold him back from having a good time either. "Wish I knew a good way to help, Missy" Simmons sighed dejectedly, "but psycho-analyzing others was never my strong suit in my police academy days."

Upon hearing the words psycho-analyzing, Carol came up with the perfect solution; call Dr. Lopez. "She was such a big help for Lincoln; when it came to his nightmares, months ago" she stated, "maybe she could do it again with this." The three officers thought on it for a moment and realized that, while it _was_ a long-shot; it was still something worth trying.

(Line Break)

The next day, Carol was driving her van down through Royal Woods with Lincoln and a small handful of his sisters traveling along with her. Before the ride, however; Lincoln was at home and soon found himself confronted by Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos. At first, he felt like he was in some kind of trouble but the ladies quickly put his fears to rest.

"You did nothing wrong, _chamaco_" assured Campos, "we just want to tell you that you'll be taking a trip with Carol later on." Confused, Lincoln asked where he was heading off too on such short notice. For a moment, the policewoman considered telling him a teeny tiny fib; just to prevent any possible fearful outburst.

But then, she decided against it; believing it went against her code. "The truth is, sweetie...Miss Higgins overheard you in your room, the other day" she said with a deep sigh, "she said that you're having...second thoughts about Carol's big party happening Saturday." Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly felt quite nervous and made a vain attempt to escape.

Alas, there was only one way out and it was through the front door. But the moment he tried to race out; his path was suddenly blocked by Luna, Leni, Lucy and Lana. "You can't run from us this time, Lincoln" Lucy murmured after suddenly popping up in front of him, "tell us what's wrong."

Like a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves, Lincoln suddenly found himself trapped by his sisters and Officer Campos. But he wasn't nervous of the former because they wanted to harm him. Rather, he feared that if he revealed the reason behind his fears; they would think he was a sissy.

As he began backing up towards the steps, Leni frowned sadly and held out her hands to him. "Linky...please, don't be afraid" she pleaded, "whatever's going on, we promise to help...but we don't want you to think we're meddling." For a while, Lincoln remained frozen in place; his mind racing with many thoughts.

Then, as he looked into the pleading eyes of some of his sisters; he felt a tug at his heart. It was as if his conscience was telling him not to worry. Finally, after a moment of contemplation; Lincoln let out a sigh and took a seat on the steps. "Okay, you guys win" he said in mild defeat, "but promise me that you all won't laugh or make a huge fuss over what I have to say."

Everyone around Lincoln gave him a "scout's honor" hand sign and beckoned him to continue. "The truth is...I really _do_ want to go to the beach party with everyone" Lincoln confessed, "but at the same time, I'm...I'm afraid to go." While still trying their best to be respectful; Leni, Lucy and Luna gave their little brother looks of utter confusion.

"I don't want to seem rude or stupid, Lincoln" murmured the young Goth, "but would you be so kind as to explain what it is about the beach that frightens you?" For a moment or two, Lincoln didn't know how to answer...or if he should. Finally, after letting out a deep sigh; he responded with one simple word..."everything."

This seemed to only make everyone feel more confused than before. "Still not followin' you, Bro" Luna muttered, "how could 'everything' about the beach leave you spooked?" In response, Lincoln took his sisters on a small trip down Memory Lane and told them about every negative "beach related" experience he had in the past.

As the four Loud Sisters listened, each of them started giving out different reactions to their brother's story. Leni found herself blushing with shame while biting her lip, Luna felt her heartstrings being tugged at like they were guitar chords and both Lucy and Lana mentally desired to bury themselves in the deepest of holes; in order to hide their shame. Meanwhile, the three officers found themselves shaking their heads in disappointment.

When she saw the looks on their faces, Luna's jaw dropped and she held up her hands in a pleading manner. "Please don't get mad at us again, ladies" she begged, "those moments happened ages ago and we've all learned our lessons." While she couldn't deny the sincerity in the young rocker's words, Officer Higgins still felt disappointed.

"The whole thing shouldn't have happened at all, Miss Loud" she said firmly, "I'm especially appalled by the shark incident." Almost immediately, the four ladies' expressions changed from looks of shame to ones of mild anger. "Gosh darn it, Luan" Luna growled softly, "I remember that day all too well, our whole beach day was ruined because of her little 'joke!'"

Before the girls could rant about the aforementioned prank, Officer Simmons quickly brought them back to the topic at hand. "So, you're sayin' that because of these moments; you're nervous about going back to the beach again" she asked, "that's both sad _and_ understandable at the same time." Lincoln couldn't help but agree with her, deep down.

But he soon revealed that while the shark incident _was _traumatic, it was the incident with the squirrel suit that really solidified his disdain. Of course, everyone already had a clear understanding on why _that_ moment did the trick. Needless to say, the officers were_ not_ happy with the Louds about this (sans Lincoln.)

But after everything that's happened, the time for scolding and reprimands had long since passed. The important thing everyone had to focus on, at that moment was helping Lincoln with his fear. "On that note, I think I have a good idea of what to do" Officer Campos murmured, "Miss Higgins told me she plans on setting up an appointment for you with Dr. Lopez for tomorrow morning, Lincoln."

Upon hearing this, Lucy asked how the therapist planned to help Lincoln out. "She managed to help Lincoln overcome his nightmares, long ago; did she not" Campos replied, "so, I imagine she can help him confront his anxiety towards the beach as well." With this bit of info presented, the wee Goth couldn't help but agree and went along with the plan.

"But can she really help me, that's the real question here" Lincoln asked, "it's not so much as I'm terrified of the beach, I just...I just don't want to add another bad memory to my scrapbook." The moment he said this, Lincoln yelped softly with alarm and clamped his hands over his mouth; hoping no one heard him. A moment later, Leni approached him and gave her little brother a loving hug to help calm him down.

"Have faith, Linky" she said sweetly, "we just know that the nice doctor will help you out...and we're gonna make sure that happens." The moment she said this, the other Louds present tilted their heads sideways and murmured two words in unison; "we are?"

(Line Break)

As our story returns to the present, Carol's van had arrived at the office building and parked near the front entrance. Unlike his last visit however, Lincoln would not be going in alone. With Lincoln's consent; she, Dana, Becky and Haiku all volunteered to go in and give whatever kind of assistance the doctor would need.

Then, mere seconds later; Vanzilla pulled into the space beside Carol's van, the door slid open and out came a handful of Lincoln's sisters. Among them were Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lucy, Lana and Lola. Upon seeing the eldest of his sisters leave Vanzilla's driver's seat, Lincoln suddenly grew...a little nervous.

"I may be in trouble, guys" Lincoln whispered to the viewer/reader, "from what I've been hearing, she's been feeling rather tense in class...and I'm worried she'll want to vent out her aggression on me." As if Fate overheard his fears; Lori shut the driver's side door of Vanzilla, spotted Lincoln over her shoulder and stared at him intently. Upon seeing this look in her eyes, Lincoln suddenly felt himself sweating profusely with fear.

Almost a split-second later, Dana quickly handed Lincoln one of his dry shirts and patted him reassuringly atop the head. But alas, the poor boy was too overwhelmed with fear to notice it. Finally, after she had locked up the van; Lori approached Lincoln, looked down at him and gave him a small yet kind smile.

"Let's get a move on, everybody" she said firmly to her sisters, "the sooner we help our lil' bro face his fear, the sooner he'll become as...semi-normal as the rest of us." Despite the mild snarkiness in his sister's tone; she seemed much less strict, when giving the order. Lincoln couldn't help but smile at her, upon seeing her like this.

Once everyone was assembled, they turned towards Lincoln and all wished him the best of luck. Lincoln thanked everyone for their support and, after a quick moment of mental preparation, everyone made their way through the office doors; hoping the visit would prove successful.

(Scene Change: Inside of Dr. Lopez's office)

Once inside; Lincoln took his place on the couch; while his sisters and four of the Gal Pals took their seats near the doctor's desk. Much to their confusion, however; they were all surprised to see that the room was completely empty. "What gives" murmured Lucy, "Carol had the appointment scheduled for 11:30; so, why isn't she here?"

As if on cue, the door suddenly swung open and Dr. Lopez came marching in. But everyone was surprised to see that she appeared rather (for lack of better words) frazzled. Everyone watched in silence as she took a seat in her chair, took out a water bottle, popped in an aspirin and drank it down with some of the water.

For a while now, no one spoke up; they just sat still and watched the doctor's mannerisms. While on the inside, everyone was unanimously wondering if they may have come at a bad time. Finally; Dr. Lopez noticed everyone and, in the blink of an eye, cleaned herself up.

"I'm so, so sorry; everyone" she murmured after clearing her throat, "I just got finished with an..._extremely_ _long_ phone conversation/session with another patient of mine." While others like Carol and Dana wondered who could've held up their doctor, everyone else had a pretty good idea on who it might've been; Clyde. "It's really no trouble at all, Ma'am" Lucy murmured, "we're just thankful you agreed to help us out."

After that, Dr. Lopez began to shoot the breeze a little with Lincoln and his sisters; asking if everything was going well with them. "It has, Doctor...except for one thing" Lincoln said reluctantly with a shy blush, "which is the reason why my friend, Carol called you." After this, he began to tell Dr. Lopez everything; every incident that gave him this strong fear of the beach from his younger years to only a year ago.

To say the least; by the end of it, the therapist was not very pleased. "This _is_ quite a problem" she sighed, "but at the very least, it's not quite as troubling as what you went through during your last visit." Lincoln gave Dr. Lopez a soft smile and nodded in agreement.

"Now then; from what Officer Campos told me, you appear to have a fear of beaches" the therapist muttered softly, "in truth, there are many specific phobias involving this topic." From here, she began to describe several of these to the group. Among these phobias were Thalassophobia, which was often considered a fear of salt water, waves or sea creatures and Aquaphobia, a fear of all kinds of water substances.

But much to everyone's surprise, not one of these suggestions seemed to match up with Lincoln's supposed fear. "As far as the latter idea is concerned, I am definitely _not_ afraid of the water" he admitted, "I mean, I always look forward to Jordan's pool parties." With that settled, everyone went on to the idea of Thalassophobia and asked if there was anything specific on the beach that scared him?

"To be honest, there really isn't any _one_ thing that scares me about the beach" he stated, "I mean, sure; I may get worried about getting sunburn or being caught up in the tide...but who hasn't." By the end, Dr. Lopez was both surprised yet confused by Lincoln's words. From the phone call she received, she was led to believe that Lincoln had a crippling fear about going to the beach.

"Tell us, then; dear" urged Dr. Lopez, "why do you feel so nervous about the outing, if you aren't deathly afraid of the ocean or things associated with it?" After taking a moment to give his sisters a sullen look, Lincoln let out a sigh and lied back on the couch. "See, I really _do_ want to hang out with everyone at the party" he stated, "I'm just worried that something bad might happen, like all the other times."

After this, Dr. Lopez mentally repeated back the boy's words in her head and began to think of a proper analysis on everything she heard. While she worked, everyone else watched her in silence; wondering what she might be thinking of. The whole time this was going on; Dana, feeling slightly confused, asked what sort of "humiliating or tragic events" Lincoln was afraid of?

Immediately, Haiku beckoned the young lady over and began to whisper into her ear. As Dana continued listening; during several moments, her expressions began to shift from shock to disgust in the blink of an eye. By the end of it, she cast a tense glare towards the five Loud Sisters near Dr. Lopez's desk.

"Wow...and here I thought I've heard everything that happened between you guys" she murmured, "I don't know whether to feel angry...or disappointed in the lot of you." After hearing this, the Loud Sisters suddenly felt their heartstrings being pulled at relentlessly. Things would've quickly become quite grim, after that; if Dr. Lopez didn't quickly interject.

"There is also one other incident that happened at this location we've neglected to mention" Dr. Lopez interjected, "which is why I ask for you to be among the ones to join us, Miss Luan." Upon hearing the doctor address her, the young comedienne found herself becoming quite anxious. Without hesitation, Dr. Lopez immediately brought up the alleged "shark attack" that occurred at the shore six years ago.

"Before we learn the full story, I would like to know one thing first" she murmured, "why...why did you think that disguising yourself as a shark would be a 'fun' prank idea?" There was an uneasy silence, after that but Luan could tell that everyone else was thinking the exact same thing; that she had a messed up sense of humor. Finally, after mentally bashing herself for fifteen seconds; Luan answered with only seven simple words..."I just thought it would be funny."

After a brief moment of groaning, facepalming and soft mutters of "of course you did" or "typical;" Dr. Lopez decided it was time to get down to business. "In order to help you get through your anxiety, Lincoln; I propose we use a couple of methods" she explained, "first, we'll use a little bit of hypnosis." After hearing the idea, Lincoln and his sisters suddenly found themselves chuckling softly.

"Not trying to sound disrespectful here, Doctor" Lori muttered, "but according to my younger sister, Lisa; Hypnotism is literally nothing but nonsense." Upon hearing this, Haiku let out a soft "harrumph" and asked for Dr. Lopez to hand her a watch. Once she was given said item, the young Goth turned towards Lincoln and began to wave it in front of his eyes.

"Listen to me carefully, Lincoln" she whispered, "just relax, follow the watch and allow your mind to calm down." While still feeling rather doubtful that the plan would work, Lincoln followed his friend's instructions and took in some calming breaths. "Now, while this is going on; could someone hand me my phone please" Dr. Lopez asked, "I will need it for the next part of this practice."

Upon hearing the request; Whitney walked over to the desk, snatched up the phone and handed it to the doctor. Not long after that, she began looking up something in her music history. In time, Dr. Lopez found what she wanted and pressed the play button.

Mere seconds later, some calm beach sound effects began to play; causing a smile to creep onto Lincoln's face. "Now that you're relaxed, dear; close your eyes" Dr. Lopez whispered, "close your eyes and imagine nothing else around you, not even us." Following the therapist's instructions, Lincoln closed his eyes tight and continued his deep breathing.

Overtime, his mind began to drift away into a calmer state; until everything else around him.

(Inside of Lincoln's subconscious)

The next moment Lincoln opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a black void; which nearly caused him to panic. _"Ah, crud...am I dead"_ he asked himself,_ "if I am, then...where am I?"_ For a moment or so, he tried to study his surroundings (or lack there of) to get a proper understanding of his whereabouts.

But all he could see around him was nothing but pure black emptiness. Soon, he felt a great sense of worry build up inside of him...until he heard a sound on coming from the right of his location. It was faint, admittedly but it almost sounded like the gentle passing of ocean tides.

No sooner had he heard this, Lincoln caught sight of a small orb of light in the distance. "Maybe that's the way out" he muttered, "better hurry in case it disappears or something." With that said, Lincoln raced off towards the light as fast as his legs would allow.

As he drew closer, Lincoln could hear more sounds coming from wherever this light led too. He suddenly heard sounds of laughter, meat sizzling on a grill, seagulls and music; no doubt from either a radio playing or from Luna's own skills. "Sounds like the party is just getting started" he said with a broad smile, "I better hurry."

Within moments, Lincoln began to run harder like he never did before. Faster and faster he went, the sounds of merriment seeming much louder and closer than they were earlier. In time, Lincoln got so close that he swore he could feel the rays of the sun upon his face.

But then; just as he was inches away from reaching the source of the light, he suddenly heard sounds of screaming. This was later followed by people shouting for help. "Somebody's in trouble" Lincoln exclaimed, "I knew this would happen...I gotta hurry and help them before it's too late!"

Without a second thought, he gave his legs a good stretch and rush towards the distance as fast as he could. As he drew closer to the light, squinting his eyes slightly so as not to become blinded; the cries for help sounded much louder than before. This time, however; he could also hear someone saying they were drowning.

"That sounded like one of the girls" Lincoln gasped, "I've gotta hurry; RUN FASTER, YOU STUPID LEGS!" With all the strength he could muster, Lincoln began to run so fast that his legs felt close to snapping off. But with his friends possibly in danger, he didn't care; all that mattered was that he got there in time to help.

(in the waking world)

Outside of his subconscious, Lincoln was flailing side to side on the couch and his legs were repeatedly twitching; as if he were trying to run. While all this was going on; Dr. Lopez, Lincoln's sisters and the Gals watched over him worriedly. "Doc...is this normal" murmured Dana, "because it looks like Linky's having a seizure."

Dr. Lopez studied the boy's mannerisms closely and jotted them down onto her notepad. _"It looks as though he is...running"_ she said mentally, _"but is something chasing him or is he trying to get somewhere?"_ Then, much to everyone's shock; they suddenly saw tears trickling down Lincoln's cheeks and heard him whimpering softly with fear.

"Okay, this has gone on long enough" Becky said firmly, "we gotta wake up our pal before he ends up traumatized!" Dr. Lopez nodded in agreement but encouraged everyone to try and wake Lincoln gently. "If you startle him, he might unintentionally lash out at us" she whispered, "so, be careful."

With this in mind, Carol offered to be the first one to try and wake Lincoln up. She cautiously approached the couch, took Lincoln by his hand and began softly shushing him. "It's okay, pal; don't cry" she whispered soothingly, "don't be scared, just follow my voice and wake up." Upon hearing this; Lincoln shot up off the couch and shouted "DON'T WORRY, I'LL SAVE YOU!"

No sooner had he said this, he made a beeline across the room and rammed into the wall; sending him flying onto the ground. Concerned, the ladies rushed to Lincoln's side and checked to see was okay. Thankfully, there were no signs of bruises or bleeding scars from his collision.

A moment later, Lincoln began to wake up again; this time more calmly. Once his vision cleared up proper, he spotted the girls standing over him; which caused him to almost tear up again. "YOU'RE ALIVE, THANK GOD" Lincoln exclaimed while hugging Carol tightly, "I thought I was too late, I heard someone screaming and...and..."

Sensing that he was on the verge of hyperventilating, Carol wrapped her arms around him in a tender hug; while also rocking him back and forth soothingly. "It's okay, Lincoln; you're safe now" she whispered, "it's okay...we're all okay." After a little more hugging, Lincoln calmed down enough and took a seat back on the couch."

"Sorry about that, guys" he chuckled sheepishly, "I just...after I went to sleep, I had the weirdest kind of...not really a dream but something like a vision." Upon hearing this, Leni gasped and asked Lincoln if he had secretly been a psychic all their lives? "I do not think he has those kind of abilities, dear" Dr. Lopez said softly, "but tell us, Lincoln; what sort of vision did you have?"

After taking a moment to calm down, he explained his vision to everyone. He spoke of the dark void, the bright light in the distance, the sounds of his family and friends having fun at the beach and finally, the cries of someone drowning. "When I heard the last part, I started running like mad" Lincoln stated, "I kept going and going...but I didn't feel like I was getting any closer to wherever the light led to."

After hearing his story, all the ladies young and old gazed at Lincoln with sympathetic stares. Then, Dr. Lopez jotted down what she heard onto a piece of paper, fixed her glasses and softly cleaned her throat. "Dear; after hearing everything you've said, I may have an idea of what's going on" Dr. Lopez stated, "the void you saw was a manifestation of your mind when it's clouded by the darkness of fear or worry."

Lincoln nodded slightly, thinking there might be some truth behind the therapist's words. "The light you saw was something representing your joy" Dr. Lopez explained, "as for the cries of your friends, it may have been your subconscious telling you something." Feeling both curious and mildly anxious, everyone asked what it was Lincoln's mind was trying to tell him.

"My boy, I understand your concerns about facing another failed outing to the shore with those you love" the doctor stated, "but the truth is...you can't let fear or anxiety keep you from experiencing wonderful memories." While there was no denying the truth behind her words, Lincoln still felt unsure of himself. "I understand, Doctor; I really do" he stated, "but...what if something happens and it turns out to be my fault?"

With this statement, the Loud Sisters decided to take action and all surrounded Lincoln in a semi-circle. "Lincoln, all those bad memories you've mentioned...none of them were your doing" Lucy said softly, "half the time, it was either _our_ fault they happened or just Madame Fate messing with us." The rest of her sisters murmured in full agreement, each one of them sharing a little bit of blame for Lincoln's troubles.

"But what about when I was the tie-breaker vote that one time" questioned Lincoln, "it was bad enough I chose the one place you all hated for our vacation spot. But I made you all wait on me hand and foot as well." The six Loud Sisters present suddenly found themselves being mildly crushed under a weight of guilt.

True, Lincoln _did_ anger them by not only tricking them into pampering him; which resulted in him acting as their man servant while camping. But the main reason he acted that way was because he enjoyed being showered with affection or positivite by his sisters for once (even though it wasn't entirely pure sisterly love.) It didn't help their case either when the girls remembered the indignities they subjected Lincoln to...just so one side could get his vote.

"What happened that day was one of those misdemeanor things, Bro" Luna assured, "besides, we all shoulda just let you come to a decision on your own; instead of trying to manipulate you." Lincoln sat silently for a moment, allowing his sister's words to sink in. Then, he looked towards Luna and offered her a soft smile.

"I guess you have a point there" he muttered, "but nobody answered my earlier question, what if something happens during the party and it's _my _fault?" Without hesitation, everyone chuckled softly and reminded that virtually _anything_ can happen at the shore. "I suppose you'll be the one we'll blame if someone loses their trunks in the water" Carol murmured jokingly, "or if the ice cream truck rolls away before we can get to it...or wait, what about when a seagull poops on one of us?"

At first, Lincoln thought his friend/guardian was actually mocking him. But after a while, he realized she was only ribbing him and let out a soft chuckle. "The point I'm trying to make here, sweetie is that in life...anything can happen" Carol stated firmly, "but the best things you can do are be prepared or just roll with the punches."

Dr. Lopez couldn't help but agree with the young lady's words, proclaiming that she couldn't have said it any better herself. "She's right, Linky; even if something _does_ happen to us, we'll still have a good time" Dana stated, "as long as we're all together, that's what matters." Soon after this, the Loud Sisters began to cheer in agreement; which caused Lincoln's heart to swell.

"You're right, ladies" he stated, "I can't let fear hold me back from enjoying time with friends or whatever; I'm gonna face whatever the world throws at me!" With that declaration, everyone cheered and embraced Lincoln joyfully. Afterwards, Dr. Lopez declared that the session was a possible success.

"Now, go have fun at your celebration" she said with a smile, "if anything happens that you find concerning, let me know right away." Everyone took the therapist's advice to heart, thanked her for her time and left the office building. "Now with that settled, we can resume party preparations" Whitney cried with joy, "all in favor?"

With nary a pause, everyone let out a hearty "aye" in response; including Lincoln.

(Line Break)

Days later, the big beach party had officially begun and the entire neighborhood showed up to take part in it. Haiku smiled happily as her friends from the Junior Morticians Club buried her in the sand, Joey and Chaz were playing a game of volleyball against Lynn Jr. and Cici, the Loud Parents chatted with the McBride Couple (Harold and Howard) while sharing some fruit salad Lynn Sr. made and many of the Gal Pals parents were setting up plates and utensils out for lunch. This truly was a joyful scene, to say the least.

But overtime, Jordan looked around and noticed something seemed to be missing. "Uh, Carol...I thought you said Lincoln would be joining us" she stated, "where did you say you saw him last?" After scratching her chin for a moment, Carol remembered she saw him going to the changing rooms to put on his suit.

"Of course, that was about fifteen minutes ago" she whispered suspiciously, "he couldn't have ditched us, right?" With this thought in mind; Carol walked up to her pet corgi, Alistair and asked him to help find Lincoln for her. The pup gave his master a small bark of agreement and he took off away from their picnic area.

Thirty seconds later, they found their quarry; who had chosen to take refuge inside of the changing booth. "Lincoln, have you been in there this whole time" Carol asked with a raised eyebrow, "the fun's about to start, don't you want to join us?" For a moment, Lincoln didn't answer; fearing of how she might react to his response.

First, he considered saying something like he was "having trouble with his suit." But Lincoln quickly realized that Carol would easily be able to tell if he was lying. Then, he thought of saying that his stomach was bothering him and that he didn't feel up to go swimming.

But there again, he realized that Carol would still know he was lying. At the same time; on the off chance she _did_ believe him, he feared that Lisa might use some sort of elixir to help "cure" him. So; in the end, he decided to come clean and tell the truth.

"I know I promised you guys _and_ Dr. Lopez I'd give this a shot" Lincoln murmured, "but I still can't shake this feeling that something...somehow could go wrong and then..." Before he could continue, Lincoln and Carol suddenly heard the sounds of someone screaming for help. They turned around with a fright and spotted the source of the noise.

Much to their horror; they spotted Cristina far out in the water, flailing her arms frantically and crying for someone to save her. In an instant, Lincoln forgot about his own nervousness and rushed towards the shore. Upon their arrival, they immediately asked what happened.

"She was out swimming near the shore, when a riptide flowed over and started pulling her out" Cristina's mother explained, "if she gets too far out, we won't be able to save her!" After hearing all this, everyone started screaming for the lifeguard. Unfortunately, the group was too far away for the officials to hear them. Not wishing to tarry for much longer, Lincoln placed his fingers into his mouth and let out the loudest whistle he could muster.

As luck would have it; one of the lady lifeguards on duty heard the noise, saw the group waving at them and finally noticed Cristina slowly being pulled out into deeper waters. "Let's move people, we've got a rescue mission" she said in an authoritative voice, "grab your gear and run like you've never done before!" The others nodded in understanding, snatched up their gear and rushed over to the shore.

When they arrived, Cristina's parents gave the patrol the quickest explanation they could and the lifeguards immediately went to work. "Please, let me go with you" Lincoln begged, "she's my friend and I have to help her." At first, the head lifeguard was prepared to say no.

But because they were all pressed for time, she decided to let him come. After grabbing the floatation buoys, everyone leapt into the water and swam for dear life. The whole time they swam, Lincoln mentally prayed over and over that his friend/former crush was still okay.

When they arrived, however; they saw the poor girl sinking slightly under the water. "OH, MY GOD" cried Lincoln in horror, "HANG ON, CRISTINA; I'LL SAVE YOU!" With that said, he dove down under the water after his friend; leaving everyone to watch in desperate anticipation.

After almost twenty seconds, there was no sign of either of them. But then, one of the lifeguards saw a white blot soaring up towards the surface and took hold of his rescue buoy. In an instant, Lincoln popped out of the water; holding Cristina close to him and taking in deep lungfuls of air.

He then handed her over to one of the lifeguards, who secured his buoy around the girl's chest to help keep her afloat and everyone swam back to shore as hard as they could. Thinking quickly, everyone on the beach decided to try and help them out. After everyone joined hands, forming into a human chain; those at the front walked out into the water until they were within reach of the team.

In time, Carol was able to grab hold of Lincoln's hands; while her parents grabbed those of the head lifeguard. Everyone pulled and heaved with all their might until everyone arrived safely back on the shore. Afterwards, the patrol unsecured Cristina and began to check for life signs.

For a minute or two, the men and women said nothing; which made everyone very worried. Finally, the head lifeguard turned towards everyone and said that Cristina was still alive...but barely. "She needs immediate CPR to expel the water from her lungs" she said matter-of-factly, "we will need volunteers to help us out."

Without hesitation, Lincoln immediately stepped forward and offered to help. "Like my other friends, this girl helped me out during my worst moments" he stated, "now, it's time I return the favor." After a brief pause, the lifeguard patrol happily welcomed his assistance and began to instruct him on what to do.

The whole time he was either blowing air into Cristina's lungs or pressing his palms down against her chest, his mind was racing with fearful thoughts. _"I knew it, I knew something like this might happen" _he said mentally,_ "now, one of my friends is gonna die and it might be my fault!"_ As Lincoln continued to work his CPR methods on his friend, tears of sorrow began to pour down his cheeks while he mentally repeated the words "it's my fault" in his head over and over.

Then; all of a sudden, he felt something smack against his cheek lightly; snapping him out of his train of thought. When he opened his eyes, Lincoln was greeted by a wonderful sight. Below him, he saw Cristina; tired, waterlogged but still happily smiling and very much alive.

"Sorry for slapping you, Lincoln" the girl said with a slight cough, "but you were close to crushing my chest, a moment ago and I had to stop you." After a moment or two of silence, Lincoln happily embraced his lady friend; not caring about everyone else watching them. "I'm so happy you're okay, Cristina" he muttered tearfully, "I was so worried that you...that you might've..."

Cristina smiled at Lincoln slightly and, before he could finish his words, kissed him lightly on the cheek. Mildly shocked by this gesture, Lincoln felt his face blush a light shade of red; which caused his friends to giggle softly. "You're a hero, buddy" Clyde said with great praise, "I've never seen you swim like that in a long time."

The whole crowd cheered loudly, praising Lincoln for his rescue. But many of them failed to notice the look of distress that was forming on his face. When the Gal Pals noticed this, three seconds later; they approached him and asked what was wrong.

"Everything that happened just now...it's exactly what happened in my vision I talked about back at Dr. Lopez's office" he murmured, "from the laughter, the fun...right up to hearing someone screaming for help." Feeling both concerned and confused, Lincoln's parents asked for an explanation for their son's words. "Long story short, Mom and Dad; the whole reason Lincoln didn't feel like coming here, at first was out of the fear that something bad might happen" Lucy explained, "even more so, he was paranoid in thinking _he_ would be the cause of whatever the bad thing might be."

The whole time Lincoln listened to his sister's words, he suddenly began to feel...rather silly. "I know it sounds stupid, guys" he murmured shamefully, "but I just didn't want everyone's fun to be ruined...because of me." Everyone took a moment to process Lincoln's words.

Then; Mrs. Loud approached him, patted Lincoln reassuringly on the shoulder and gave him the brightest of smiles ever. "Honey, you can't let the past hold you back from living in the moment" she stated, "sometimes...things happen and the best thing _we_ can do is stay strong and roll with the punches." Upon hearing his mother say this, Lincoln couldn't help but laugh a little.

"That's the same thing Dr. Lopez told me, the other day" he admitted, "and you know what, you're right; I can't let paranoia hold me back from having fun." With that; he picked up a bucket, turned towards his friends and said "who wants to go hunt for seashells?!" Everyone cheered with joy at Lincoln's newfound enthusiasm and happily raised their hands; hoping a few of them would join him.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, Lincoln was in his room; throwing away what looked like a large book into a trash can. "There we go; outta sight, outta mind" he said with a smile, "now, I can make room for my _new_ beach scrapbook." As he placed another brand new photo album upon his dresser, he looked ahead and smiled at the viewer/reader.

"Today was a really great day" he said with a pleased sigh, "not only did I conquer my fear, I also got to indulge in all the activities I so richly wanted to do...you wanna see the snapshots?" After waiting for the reader/viewer's approval, he plugged in his flash drive into his computer and brought up all the photos either he himself or others took at the party. There was a pic of Haiku burying him in the sand, one of Jordan and Carol going snorkeling with him, one of him playing beach volleyball with a few of his friends...which resulted in him falling onto his face once or twice.

There were also a few "silly moments" Phoebe took snapshots off that she just couldn't resist. There was one of Chaz being knocked over from behind by a wave, one featuring Alistair (Carol's dog) tugging on the bottom of Dana's bikini (almost pulling it off completely,) one showing Clyde going through many oysters hoping to find a pearl for Lori and many others. "The last of these pics was...a tad embarrassing" Lincoln mumbled, "long story short; I thought I applied sunscreen, at one point...but it turned out to be tanning oil."

To prove his words were true, Lincoln brought up one of the last pictures on his drive; one that featured looking as brown as a caramel candy. "Bad news is some people said I looked like a younger version of one of those Jersey Shore guys" he mumbled, "but the _good_ news is the tan will only last two weeks...and some of the girls said I looked 'cute' with a tan."

The next pic after the tan one showed Jordan, Stella, Cristina and even some others on the shore winking and giggling at him. "I'm not so sure tan is really _my_ kind of look" Lincoln mumbled with a light blush on his cheeks, "but in the end, this was a great beach day...and I can't wait till next time!" At that moment, there was a light beeping sound coming from his phone on the dresser.

He snatched it up and saw that it was a voicemail from Carol. "Wonder what's up" Lincoln murmured, "I hope everybody's okay, after all the fun." After taking a seat on the bed; he pushed play on the voicemail, placed the phone next to Bun-Bun and relaxed while he listened. _"Hey, Linky; it's me...but I suppose you might've guessed that already" _Carol's voice giggled, _"just wanted to call and tell you Cristina's doing fine, her folks can't stop talking about how brave you were in rescuing their 'little sweetie.'"_

Lincoln found himself blushing a little, both due to his sense of humility telling him "it was no big deal" and from the fact that he was happy Cristina was safe. _"Anywho, I'm happy you overcame your nervousness and were able have so much fun with us" _she gushed warmly,_ "which is why I was wondering...how do you feel about doing it again near the end of the month or after the 4__th__ of July?"_ After that; there was a brief "call me back when you get the chance" and then, after she said goodbye, the message ended.

For a moment or two, Lincoln sat in silence; thinking about Carol's offer. Then with a broad, bucktoothed smile forming across his face; he picked up his phone and sent an immediate reply to Carol that read "count me in." After that, he decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood and show off his tan; while he still had it.

(First AN: Thus ends the first oneshot in my anthology and thus begins the Summer Arc. Said arc will consist of three or four other oneshots, each one revolving around a different summer activity/event. Then, we'll come to the Fall Arc; which will start with Lincoln's first day of Middle School.

What other adventures will Lincoln and the Gal Pals have next? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Second AN: As I said, this story will become part of an anthology series; which is a collection of oneshot adventures revolving around Lincoln and the Gal Pals. These stories will have little connections with each other, as well as with the original story of Gal Pals. Think of this anthology as something like...The Casagrandes arc of episodes featured in Season Four of the Loud House.

I hope that makes enough sense to you all and I hope you like this starter oneshot.)

(Third AN: I know that what Lincoln was experiencing here wasn't really a "fear" of the ocean or the beach. But after a few bad experiences involving said location. It makes a little sense that he would feel a touch anxious about going there again.

Hopefully next time, no one else will be drowning during the next beach party.)

(Final AN: Sorry if this oneshot seems a little long, I wanted this to feel like it's as long as an actual episode of the show.)


	2. Reconnections with the Gal Pals

Reconnections (with the Gal Pals)

(Story Summary: Over the past few months, Lincoln has grown rather close with the members of his Gal Pals crew. However; there has been _one_ whom he still feels slightly awkward around, Cristina. Now that she has come back into his life, Lincoln wants to try and set things right with her.

But will his plans go smoothly or will Madame Fate rip the carpet out from under him, causing the poor lad to screw up?)

In the Loud House; we find Lincoln Loud in his bedroom, laughing pleasantly while looking through some photos on his computer. These photos consisted of all the adventures he and the Gal Pals had experienced earlier that year, good...and bad. At the head of the photo album is a group shot of all of them together with Lincoln enveloped in Carol and Whitney's embrace.

"Such good times we've had this year; you remember them, right" he asked the reader/viewer, "yup, despite a few...bumps this year; meeting the Gals was one of the best things that happened to me." After that, he chose to take a break from sorting out his pictures and decided to look over his schedule for the week. He had bird watching with Phoebe on Thursday after lunch, baseball with the whole crew at Ketchum Park on Saturday, a discussion on his next Double Draw issue with Becky, Joey and Chaz next Monday and Haiku invited him to be his guest at the next Morticians Club meeting on Sunday.

Apparently, on that day; the group decided to briefly break away from discussing macabre topics and wanted to have a small book club session together. They were planning on discussing their feelings on a new book Persephone discovered called "Night of the Blood Moon." From what Lincoln heard from Lucy, it put a whole new spin on the concept of vampires.

At her suggestion, Lincoln decided to give it a look...and became hooked on it after the first two chapters. After that, he begged Haiku to let him sit in with the club to discuss the story. Of course, she was more than happy to say yes; even though he left, Haiku still considered him an honorary club member.

"Yup, life with me and them has been good lately" Lincoln stated, "except...there has been one member of the crew I've been having a bit of a problem with." After this, he heads back over to his computer and looks at the group shot photo on the screen. While looking at the photo; Lincoln's gaze slowly falls on one of the younger members of the crew, Cristina.

"You guys recognize this face, right" he asked, "she used to be my crush back at Royal Woods Elementary...before certain things happened that caused us to...drift apart. To help elaborate on his statement, Lincoln began to regale everyone with a story; one involving himself and Clyde trying to obtain tickets for a SMOOCH concert they wished to attend. At the same time; they tried to do so without letting Luna, another one of his sisters, catch on.

The reason; to put it bluntly, the girl had tendencies to go overboard whenever first concerts were involved. She'd act wildly, forcefully leap onto others in an attempt to do "crowd surf" or "stage dive" mosh pit moves and try to get everyone to get in the mood. Normally, this would not be an issue but as mentioned earlier; Luna often goes overboard with music related things.

Case in point; while waiting in line for tickets, she broke out her acoustic guitar and tried to get those in line to join in a SMOOCH sing-along. At one point, Luna caught sight of Cristina and openly singled her out as Lincoln's crush (without her bro's consent.) To make matters all the more awkward, she tried to urge him into publicly kissing Cristina.

As expected, this made both the girl in question rather uncomfortable and Lincoln quite miffed. Next, he brought up a video on his computer; one showing him partaking in some "kissing practice." To add insult to injury on himself, Lincoln taped a picture of Cristina over the face of Lucy's bust of Edwin and proceeded to kiss it.

He practiced this method on two occasions; unaware that Luan, one of his older sisters, was recording his actions on video both times. "Now, you may be wondering how Cristina came to know about this" Lincoln inquired to the viewer/reader, "long story short; to make up for posting a humiliating video compilation of my sisters online, I...posted one of myself using footage Luan had stored away." After showing this video in his class, it was the final nail in the coffin for him.

While he _did_ earn back his sisters' love and respect, after this; Cristina chose to switch classes due to the "kissing practice' clips she saw. "After that, I hadn't seen much of Cristina around town for some time" Lincoln stated, "so, you can imagine my surprise when I saw her among some of these other ladies at Gus' back in March." From here, Lincoln talks about recounts of how he grew close to each of the (yet to be established) Gal Pal crew.

But while he tells the story, he finds himself slowly trailing off whenever Cristina is mentioned. Upon seeing everyone "looking at him" oddly, Lincoln quickly recovers and dusts himself off. "Sorry about that, guys" he murmurs with a bashful chuckle, "it's just...things have been incredibly awkward between me and Cristina, since we met up again."

Lincoln then reveals that despite her helping him out during his whole ordeal with his family, way back when; they've yet to actually talk things out together. "I think it's time she and I had some time alone to clear the air between us" he suggested to himself, "but...will she say yes and how will she respond to everything I say?" No sooner had he said this, Lincoln's door suddenly shot open; causing the poor boy to almost leap out of his skin.

Upon recovering slightly, he turned around to see Officer Higgins standing at his doorway. "Hey there, sug; just thought I'd pop in to check on you" she said sweetly, "sorry for spookin' you like that." Lincoln smiled slightly at her and assured the officer that he was okay.

"I've grown used to it, over the years" he chuckled, "especially whenever Lucy suddenly pops up out of nowhere." After that, there was a bit of a silence between the two of them until Higgins saw the picture Lincoln had on his laptop screen. "Penny for your thoughts, sweetie" she inquired, "something wrong between you and your lady friends?"

Suddenly realizing his error in leaving the picture exposed, Lincoln quickly closed up his computer and smiled up at Officer Higgins; assuring her he was "fine." "There's no use lyin' to me, honey" she said with a sly grin, "I heard almost everything you said outside after I was done...usin' the facilities, shall we say."

At first, Lincoln was prepared to question _how_ the officer could've heard him. But then, he remembered just how thin the walls of the house were and how they provided so little privacy; in terms of speaking out one's thoughts. "The look on your face also tells me that somethin's up" she said firmly, "so, I'll ask again...is there something goin' on between you and your lady friends?"

Realizing that he had been cornered, Lincoln let out a soft sigh and sat down on his bed; ready to tell her everything. "To start things off, Ma'am; nothing's wrong with me and the gals" he stated, "at least...not in the way _you're_ thinking." Intrigued, the officer sat down beside him and polite urged Lincoln to continue.

"Well...it's Cristina, one of the younger members of our crew" Lincoln stated, "she and I used to be in the same class, back at the elementary school...until certain things happened between us." Before he could continue, Officer Higgins politely stopped him; stating that she already learned about those incidents earlier. "If I may offer my 2 cents on this, you should just talk to her" she suggested, "what happened during those moments were, as the courthouse put it, misdemeanors."

Lincoln blinked confusedly at the officer and said that he wasn't fully sold on her assumption. "I don't think that's the best word to use for my particular situation, Ma'am" he said softly, "on the other hand, the kissing practice videos Luan used might be seen as such." Realizing that she might've used the wrong word, Officer Higgins decided to try another idea.

"Let me put it in another way" she offered, "the thing with the web video; it was a little...strange, yeah but nothing reprehensible about it." Lincoln took a moment to let her words sink in and in time, he realized she might've been right. "Truth be told; back when I was young, I used to...secretly do kissin' practice on the head of our school mascot" Officer Higgins muttered shyly, "that is, as long as no one was wearin' it at the time."

While still trying to be respectable, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little; something Officer Higgins took immediate notice of. "Go ahead and laugh, Son" she said with a mild chuckle, "my partners and hubbie did it when I told them, long ago already." The two shared a quick yet hearty laugh at her little reveal and then, things went back into "serious mode" for a moment.

"My point is...things happen and the best y'all can do is try and put it behind you" Officer Higgins stated, "but I imagine y'all already had that in mind...right?" Lincoln nodded slightly in response and looked back at Cristina's picture in the group photo. "I really want to talk with her and see if things are okay between us" he stated, "but...I'm nervous, what if she doesn't want to be anywhere near me?"

Upon hearing this, Officer Higgins gave the boy a knowing look and brought up his "Gal Pals" photo album. Afterwards, she asked him to look at the girl in question in each one of the pictures. "Does Cristina look uncomfortable around you in any way in any of these moments, Linc" she asked, "because from where _I'm_ sitting, she's havin' a rootin' tootin' good time with y'all."

Lincoln nodded slightly in agreement but mentioned, a split second later that she might've only looked happy because of the others; not him. "From what I've been hearin', boy; all them gals just love ya to pieces" Officer Higgins said with pride, "I imagine Cristina's the same way, to a degree." After this, she snatches up Lincoln's cellphone from his dresser and hands it to him.

"Give her a call, try and see if y'all can meet up someplace" she suggested, "then, you can talk things out without distractions." With that said, she gave Lincoln the reminder of dinner and left the room. Once he was alone again, Lincoln looked down at his phone while the officer's earlier words echoed softly in his head.

_"Maybe she's right; I should, at least _try_ to clear the air between us" _he thought to himself_ "I just hope I don't make a fool of myself...again."_

(Scene Change: Cristina's House, that same hour)

In another area of Royal Woods, Cristina is seen helping her parents set up the table for dinner. After setting down her plate, she suddenly hears her phone going off in the living room. Curious about who would be calling her at such a time of day, she walks over to the coffee table and answers her phone.

You can imagine her surprise, when she heard Lincoln's voice on the other line. "Lincoln, hi" she exclaimed softly, "how are things going for you?" For a moment or two, the young white haired lad didn't know how to respond. Finally, Lincoln answered her in saying that things were great at home.

"I've just been sorting out my online photos today" he stated, "found some great ones with us and the other Gal Pals." Realizing he used the word "us" in a possessive sense, Lincoln quickly did his best to "save himself." But much to his surprise, Cristina simply laughed at him; not in a mocking way but in a friendly manner.

"It's okay, Lincoln" she assured him, "I get what you mean; did you find any pictures you liked?" With a soft smile on his face, Lincoln brought over his laptop and showed some of the pictures he saved up. "OH! These are some good ones" Cristina said with delight, "Carol and Phoebe sure have an eye for good photo op moments."

Lincoln nodded slightly and said his favorite ones were a tie between those taken at Gus' and the Ace Savvy Convention. After that, he suddenly went silent and Cristina could see a faint frown developing on his face. "Lincoln, are you sure you're okay" she asked with concern, "if something's wrong, you can tell me."

At first, Lincoln hesitated in answering her; unsure of how the girl would respond to his words. Finally, he took in a calming breath and looked the girl straight in the eye before speaking. "Truth is, Cristina; something has been on my mind lately...and it involves you" Lincoln murmured, "sorry if that sounds weird."

For a moment or so, the young redhead didn't know how to respond; which was making Lincoln feel rather nervous. Finally, after about a minute of silence; she politely urged Lincoln to continue. "Right...you see, I've been meaning to talk to you about something" the boy stated, "could you meet me at Flip's tomorrow to discuss it properly?"

Cristina thought about the idea for a few seconds and then, she smiled at Lincoln and gave him a nod. "Great, I'll see you then" Lincoln said with relief in his voice, "I'll leave you to your dinner preparations, now...bye." After that, Cristina hung up her phone and all was quiet in the room again.

Meanwhile, inside her head; the young girl's mind was swirling with thoughts. What was really going on with Lincoln, why did he need to speak with her and was he feeling okay? For the moment, she couldn't do anything about it.

"Just wait until the morning, Cristina" she whispered to herself, "hopefully...hopefully things will go smoothly."

(Line Break)

The next day, Lincoln was seen standing outside of Flip's; sipping on a soft drink (affectionately dubbed a Flipee.) For almost ten minutes, he stood out there by the door; much to the owner's annoyance. "Listen, kid; I don't take kindly to loiterers" grumbled Flip, "so...either buy more merchandise or leave."

Lincoln was ready to begrudgingly comply with the man's complaints. But then, he looked to his right and spotted Cristina approaching. With a smile forming across his face, Lincoln greeted his friend with a happy wave.

Cristina did the same thing almost a split-second later. "Glad you could make it" Lincoln said sheepishly, "I was beginning to think you were having second thoughts." For a moment, Cristina did not answer but Lincoln could see some signs of uneasiness on her face. "At first, I _was_ having second thoughts" she admitted, "but only because I was confused as to why you wanted to meet with me."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln quickly realized how sudden he must've been in calling her. With this in mind; he sheepishly chuckled, apologized and offered to buy her a Flipee. "Thank you very much but there's no need" she said with a smile, "my parents gave me some money to use."

Upon hearing the word "money," Flip snatched away her coins away and placed a fresh Strawberry Flipee into Cristina's hand; mildly startling her. The whole time this was happening, Lincoln rolled his eyes and commented on how he acted so overworked on other moments but becomes a speedster whenever money is mentioned. Cristina let out a small chuckle at his words and then, took a small sip of her drink.

But after a few seconds, she stopped herself and looked Lincoln in the eyes with a sort of serious/confused expression. "I'm here now, Lincoln; just like you wanted" she murmured with uncertainty, "so...what's this all about?" In an instant, Lincoln's demeanor suddenly changed from joyful to uneasy. "Oh, yeah...thanks for reminding me" he murmured, "it's nothing really serious, I just...needed to talk to you."

Feeling evermore curious, Cristina asked her male friend what was on his mind. "Well, to start with; I just wanna say that I'm...I'm sorry" he said bluntly, "sorry about what my sister, Luna did when you were waiting in line for concert tickets and I'm _especially_ sorry about the kissing videos you saw." The moment he mentioned, Cristina started to feel a little nervous; thinking Lincoln was about to do something crazy.

Meanwhile; Lincoln, after channeling as much courage he could muster, tried his best to continue speaking. "Thing is...back then, I had a...a bit of a crush on you" he admitted, "you're sweet, kind, friendly to everyone around you and you're incredibly loyal." While still in shock over his slight confession, Cristina was still rather flattered by Lincoln's choice of words to describe her.

At the same time, however; she had to stop him before things would get even more awkward between them. "Lincoln...I'm flattered you like me, I really am" Cristina said with a light smile, "and after everything that's happened, I think...I think you're pretty great yourself." Lincoln couldn't help but blush a little at her words.

But then, he soon realized that his friend might have a bit more to say and his face quickly returned to a more stoic appearance. "But...the truth is, I'm...I'm just not ready" she said simply, "I don't think I'm ready to get into a relationship yet...and I bet you feel the same way." Surprisingly, Lincoln didn't feel too shocked by her declaration.

During the trial, not too long ago; he said something similar to his sisters, when it came to him and Ronnie Anne's relationship. "But make no mistake, Lincoln" Cristina said suddenly, "you're a great guy and I know you're gonna make some lucky girl out there very happy." Flattered, Lincoln bashfully thanked his friend for such a compliment and extended the same wish unto her as well.

Then, he suddenly realized that they were getting a little off-topic and politely cleared his throat; getting Cristina's attention. "Now that that little issue is off the table, it will make what I have to say all the more easier" he stated, "on that note, I'd like to...ask you something." Before continuing further, Lincoln could feel his body quivering with nervous anxiety.

But after he took a small sip of his drink, he managed to calm himself down enough to speak again. "I've been thinking, Cristina" he began, "since we're both kinda...back in each other's lives again, maybe...maybe we can...start over?" After that, all was silent between the two pre-teens. Cristina simply stared into his eyes with a sort of deep gaze, as if she were looking into his mind to see what he was "plotting."

Then, after a while, she smiled warmly at him and placed her hand gently upon his shoulder. "Yes, Lincoln" she said sweetly, "yes...I would like that very much." With that said, they lightly tapped their Flipee cups together, "toasting" the restart of their friendship.

(Line Break)

Two hours passed since that meeting and Cristina was having a rather good time. First, they went on a short walk through the park; where she and Lincoln got to greet some of the dogs walking through there. Then, Cristina accompanied Lincoln on a trip to Liam's farm.

While there, he took a moment to check on some of the animals there; specifically the sort Lana once kept as pets. "Sure, I'll take you to 'em" the young country boy said with a smile, "they's all down at the pen with Virginia." Cristina suddenly gave a light shudder at the mention of Liam's pet pig.

She didn't dislike the animal in question, mind you; she just didn't want to risk getting covered with mud. But in spite of her fear, Cristina didn't want to ruin her chances to reconnect with Lincoln. So, she took in a breath and followed him over to one of the animal pens.

(Scene Change: Virginia's pen)

Upon there arrival, Virginia rushed over and greeted Lincoln with a happy squeal. "Hello there, Virg" he cooed adorably, "you're getting so big and beautiful now, betcha Daddy Liam is happy about that." While Cristina was a little weirded out at the sight of her friend greeting a pig like he would his pet dog, a part of her actually found it...cute.

Then, she saw another pig hurry over to the side; also appearing eager for some head scratches. "Whoa! Percy...is that really you" Lincoln gasped, "wow, you're about as big as Lola's princess car now!" Liam chuckled proudly and commented on how the pig's "growth spurt" (so to speak) was the end result of a healthy diet of his family's scraps.

"Gotta say, he has as big a love for Ma's cookin' as I do" he chuckled, "just wish he didn't get more to eat." Then, all of a sudden; Liam looked over Lincoln's shoulder and spotted Cristina standing behind him. The young redhead smiled at him and greeted the farm boy with a wave.

"Howdy there, lil' miss" Liam said casually, "ain't seen ya for sometime; what brings ya to my farm?" Cristina giggled at him lightly and commented how it has, indeed been long since they've seen one another. "I'm just accompanying Lincoln while he checks on some of the animals his sister used to own" she explained, "I'm guessing that the big pig here is one of them?"

Lincoln nodded slightly and explained that the hog called "Percy" did belong to Lana, long ago. "You'd think having a dog, cat, hamster and canary are enough to handle; in terms of pets" he chuckled, "but Lana has tendencies to 'bond' and collect whatever animals she comes across...which leads to her bringing them home." Confused, Cristina asks if Lincoln's little sister tries to hide these animals from the family.

"In the past, she did...but then; she managed to manipulate my parents into letting her keep them" Lincoln explained, "nowadays, she only has a small handful of her pets to keep." He then said that the rest of Lana's animals would be given new homes across the town and city, Liam's farm being one of them. "At first, it was...a little hard for Lana to say goodbye" Lincoln murmured sullenly, "but she visits each of the animals she gave away as much as she can."

Cristina found herself smiling a little at this news, happy that Fate was being merciful to some members of Lincoln's family. Meanwhile, Liam looked over at her and back at Lincoln in silence; all while sporting a sly grin on his face. "So...what's the two of ya doin' all by your lonesome" he chuckled, "fixin' to make some sweet music together?"

This comment caused Lincoln and Cristina to blush deeply in unified shock. Thinking quickly, the former pulled Liam over to the side and made sure Cristina couldn't hear him. "Dude, it is _not_ like that" Lincoln whispered in an annoyed tone, "I'm hanging out with her in hopes of fixing things between us."

At first, Liam was confused by his friend's words; wondering what could've needed fixing between him and Cristina. But then, his mind recalled the internet video his class was shown earlier that year. In that moment, everything started to come together for him.

"I getcha now, friend" Liam whispered, "but I figured things had been square between the two of ya over the past few months." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding and assured him that things with the Gal Pals have been great. "It's just...now that Cristina's back, I haven't really had the chance to clear the air between us" he murmured, "so, I want to spend some time with her and help make things right between us."

Having heard all this, Liam's demeanor quickly shifted from sly to sympathetic. "Right-o, Linc" he said simply, "hope all goes smoothly for the two of ya." With that said, he bade his two friends farewell and returned to his chores.

Back with our main duo, Cristina said she had seen enough of the farm and wished to go somewhere else for their hangout. "Sure thing" Lincoln said with a grin, "where would you like to go, exactly?" After being asked this, Cristina silently scratched her chin in thought until an idea formed in her head.

"I'm not sure if it's really _your_ thing" she murmured hesitantly, "but in town, there's a new bookstore that opened recently and I really want to see what they have." Upon hearing this idea, Lincoln's face suddenly shined with excitement. "Are you kidding" he exclaimed, "I love reading regular books as much as I do comics, I'm all for that!"

Having come to a mutual agreement on the idea, the two pre-teens swiftly left the farm and headed off towards town.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the kids had left the book store and were walking through downtown Royal Woods towards their neighborhood. In his hands, Lincoln was seen holding a pair of bags; both of which containing two or three hardcover books. "Are you sure you can carry both bags, Lincoln" questioned Cristina, "I'm not doubting your strength or anything...I just don't want you to strain yourself."

Lincoln gave a light shrug of his shoulders and assured his lady friend he was okay. "I've had to carry much heavier loads than this a few times" he chuckled lightly, "besides, Lynn's always telling me to exercise my arms more." Though she still felt he was pushing himself a little; Cristina knew her friend could be stubborn, when his mind was set on something.

Thus, she chose to respect his wishes and welcomed the gesture. "I still can't believe you bought The Princess Bride, Lincoln" Cristina giggled, "I didn't think it was really _your_ thing." With a bashful look on his face; Lincoln admitted that, when he was 9, Lori and Leni had the whole family sit down and watch the movie version with them.

"When it started, I thought the movie was gonna be some _extremely_ sappy kissing movie for teens" he grumbled, "but...I was surprised to see that I actually started liking it." With a doubtful look upon her face, Cristina decided to test him on his "knowledge" on the movie. "If you have seen the movie, answer me this" she inquired, "what did Inigo and Fezzik use to help revive Westley, after they all escaped the Pit of Despair?"

Lincoln gave his lady friend a sly grin and, without missing a beat, responded with "they used a chocolate coated Miracle Pill that was given to them by Miracle Max, the healer." His answer seemed to please Cristina but she still felt unconvinced. "How about this one" she challenged "what is the character of Fezzik best known for?"

With a confident grin upon his face, Lincoln said that the character had four defining qualities; his great size, his equally immense strength, his big heart and his love/gift for rhyming. To say the least, Cristina was becoming rather impressed. But she had one last question to give him; then, he'd have truly proven himself as a fan.

"You probably know that Westley had a new identity as the Dread Pirate Roberts, right" she asked, "but tell me...who had the title before him?" Upon being asked this, Lincoln suddenly stopped walking and began racking his brain for the answer. After almost two minutes of thinking, he finally figured it out.

"According to Westley, the Dread Pirate Roberts was merely a pseudonym or alias that's been used before" Lincoln explained, "the man he served before was known as Ryan, in reality." Cristina was so pleased with his answer that she started clapping her hands lightly. But Lincoln quickly yet politely stopped her, indicating that he wasn't finished yet.

"Before Ryan, there was _another_ man who used the title of Dread Pirate Roberts" he stated, "but _his_ name was Cummerbund and he inherited the title; after the OG Roberts retired to live in Patagonia." By the end, Cristina was rendered silent with both shock and surprise. "I am seriously impressed, Lincoln" she chuckled, "though...I wonder how you could've gotten all that from just _one_ viewing of the movie version of the story."

Lincoln chuckled sheepishly and admitted that since then, he had become a die hard fan and watched it every chance he had over the past two years. "Even Clyde's a bit of a fan" Lincoln stated, "although...whenever he tried using Westley's 'as you wish' phrase on Lori, she wouldn't get the idea and assumed he wanted to be her pack mule." At that moment, Cristina suddenly found herself guffawing lightly at Lincoln's words; mostly because of the ironic nature of Clyde's situation.

In the end, Lincoln had proven himself to be rather versed in the Princess Bride film. But Cristina quickly reminded him that the book might differ from it, in some ways and it might not be as good. "That may be true" Lincoln said matter-of-factly, "but I'll still love both versions, if the book is as good as you say." After that statement, the two of them continued off on their way while discussing what else to do during their hangout time.

Then; at that moment, they leapt with a start at the sounds of loud crashing from somewhere nearby. At first, Cristina thought someone had got into a vehicle related accident somewhere. But then, they looked ahead and saw two burly teens pushing their way through crowds of people.

One was a teenager with long, shaggy black hair that covered up his eyes, wore a red jacket that looked rather worn out, a dirty t-shirt under it, blue jeans and white sneakers. The other teen had brown hair styled into a Mohawk with spikes on the front, wore a dark green shirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jean shorts and white shoes with blue stripes.

As the two boys drew closer, Lincoln found himself becoming incredibly nervous. _"Oh, no; not these thugs again" _he thought fearfully,_ "what are _they _doing this far from Hazeltucky!?"_ Meanwhile, Cristina was feeling nervous as well but it was more towards the height and bulk of the two boys.

As they watched Hawk toss a fifth grader into a trashcan, Lincoln suggested fleeing the scene as quickly as they could; an idea Cristina happily agreed with. But alas; due to the weight of the books they were carrying, they couldn't get very far. At one point during her stride, Lincoln lost his balance and fell to the ground; spilling his books onto the sidewalk.

"Lincoln, are you alright" cried Cristina, "did you hurt yourself?" While trying his best to push himself up from the dirt, the white haired lad looked over his shoulder at his lady friend and smiled slightly. Then, he tried his best to collect his books as quickly as he could.

As he rushed over to pick up his Princess Bride book, Hawk swiftly yanked him up from behind by his collar. "Well, well; lookie what I've got here, Hank" chortled the bully, "it's the lil' runt who cheated us outta our Halloween haul last year!" His curiosity piqued, the other bully parted away his hair slightly to get a better look at his pal's "prize."

While it was clear that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer (much like Hawk.) After getting a look at Lincoln's orange shirt, white hair and chipped tooth; Hank was able to put the pieces together. "Yeah, I remember him now" he gasped, "I know that ugly grin of his anywhere."

Not only was Lincoln rather put off from the ruffians' comments on his teeth but so was Cristina, who remained frozen in place while all this was happening; slightly frozen with fear. "L-Leave my friend alone, you creeps" she shouted slightly, "we don't want any trouble, just let us get our stuff together and we'll be on our way."

For a moment or two, there was an eerie silence in the air; which led Cristina into hoping that the boys were willing to grant her request. But then, Hank and Hawk suddenly erupted in a loud fit of laughter. This noise suddenly attracted the attention of others in the area; who, at first, chose to watch the scene in silence.

When they finally stopped laughing, Hawk turned Lincoln around and looked him square in the eyes with a fierce stare. "Talk about pathetic" he chuckled, "you can't fight for yourself; so, you gotta have babes handle your battles for ya." Before Lincoln could come up with some kind of rebuttal; Hank snatched up one of Lincoln's books, looked at the title and burst into another laughing fit.

"The Princess Bride, you're even more of a sissy than I thought" he gasped between chuckles, "not only do you need girls to fight for ya but you also love girly books!" Her patience at her limit with his comments towards women, Cristina rushed up and gave Hank a swift yet painful kick in the shin; causing him to drop Lincoln. "That's for getting in our way _and _for messing with Lincoln's book" she said boldly, "someone should teach you two brutes some manners!"

While still hopping around and clutching at his sore leg, Hank glared daggers at the young redhead and ordered Hawk to "waste her." "You little runt" he growled, "you're gonna pay for hurting my pal!" With that said; he rushed over, grabbed Cristina by her hair and started slapping her hard across the face.

As Lincoln watched his friend getting manhandled, he suddenly felt a fierce rage bubbling inside of him; something he hadn't felt since his whole tiff towards his sisters. _"That creep, how dare he mistreat one of my friends like that" _he thought furiously, _"this ends NOW!" _With that thought in mind; Lincoln pulled himself up from the dirt, placed his books safely aside and charged at Hank like a mad bull.

Just as the bully prepared to slap Cristina again, he asked her if she had any last words to say. At first, the poor girl said nothing; the pain of her sore cheeks leaving her unable to think of a response. But as she wiped her tears away, Cristina saw a "white bullet" heading towards Hawk from behind.

With a soft smile upon her lips, she only offered the bully four simple words; "look out behind you." Hawk stared dumbly at the little girl, wondering just what she was talking about. Then, he suddenly felt something nail him from behind like a battering ram; which sent him flying down the sidewalk.

While still a little dazed from the blow, Lincoln glared at Hawk with a burning hatred in his eyes. "I'm only going to give you this one chance, meathead" he growled, "leave here and go back to Hazeltucky while you still can...or else?" As he slowly got back onto his feet, Hawk looked over his shoulder and glared at Lincoln with equal fury.

"You little turd" he shouted, "I'll teach you to knock me from behind...the hard way!" With that declaration, Hawk rushed towards Lincoln like a running back at a football game. He tackled Lincoln to the pavement and proceeded to lay down punch after punch against his face.

Horrified by this violent display, Cristina took out her phone and quickly rung up Officer Higgins' phone number on speed dial.

(Scene Change: The Loud House)

Back at the house, the three officers were having a friendly card game in the dinning room. Along with them was little Lily; who, while not playing, acted as Higgins' "tell." At one point in the game, she seemed to be rubbing her tiny hand on her chin; as if in deep thought.

Then, she let out a soft cooing noise of joy; which took Officer Campos by surprise. "What is she saying...'gaa-goo'" she asked, "that must be her tell; I fold, then." The moment she did so, Simmons and Lily suddenly burst out in joyful laughter. "Fooled ya, Gabby" Simmons chuckled, "this lil' lady was bluffin', giving _me_ the chance to throw down these!"

With that said, the officer threw down a royal flush; which beat out Higgins' two pair. "What, that's nuts" cried Campos, "how did I fall for that trick!?" After that, she demanded a do-over and proceeded to reshuffle the card deck.

But just as she prepared to cut the cards, Officer Campos suddenly felt her cellphone ringing and she quickly answered it. "What's up, Gab" questioned Officer Higgins, "something goin' on at the station?" Campos shook her head slightly and revealed a text message that was sent by Cristina; which read "come to downtown, Lincoln is in danger!"  
"Strange, why would they be calling us at this time of day" questioned Officer Higgins, "with how quiet things have been, I thought their hangout was goin' smoothly." Just as the other officers were prepared to respond, Simmons felt _her_ phone go off suddenly and she quickly answered it. Upon doing so, she received a most shocking video e-mail.

It featured Lincoln, who was doing his best to hold his own against a boy who was twice his size. "We gotta get their quick before that punk turns our lil' buddy into a vegetable" ordered Simmons, "to the van, ladies!" With that order; the three officers placed Lily in Leni's care, rushed outside, got into their police van and rushed off towards downtown.

(Line Break)

Back at the fight, Lincoln was still hanging on; despite the fact that he was covered with several bleeding scratches, his shirt was torn and his right eye appeared black and swollen. Meanwhile, Hank towered over the eleven year old; appearing unharmed from any possible retaliation the eleven year old put up. "Give it up, twerp; you can't win" Hawk chortled smugly, "one more punch and you'll be off to the hospital!"

While he didn't want to openly admit it, Lincoln knew that the bully spoke the truth. One more punch or slap and Lincoln would be out for the count. He was barely able to stand up as it is, after everything else.

But at the same time, he just couldn't bring himself to call it quits yet. After seeing how viciously the bullies treated Cristina earlier, something inside of Lincoln told him he had to make them pay; even if it meant getting hurt. So, after taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves; he glared firmly at Hawk, clenched his fists tightly, drew back his right arm and...suddenly passed out.

Cristina gasped in horror, as she watched her friend fall backwards with a groan and prepared to take on the bullies herself. Ever so slowly, Lincoln could feel his mind and body growing weak with fatigue. Then, his eyelids suddenly became heavy and he slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

Before the world went dark; Lincoln's ears could hear the muffled sounds of Hank and Hawk's laughter, Cristina's worried cries, the murmuring of any people in the area...and what he presumed to be sirens. After that, he let out a soft groan and shut his eyes.

(Line Break)

As his eyes blinked softly, Lincoln let out a loud yawn and found himself lying inside of a hospital bed. With a startled gasp, Lincoln shot upright in his bed and began asking all manner of questions; such as "where am I" and "how did I get here?" Not long after this, a nurse suddenly approached him and placed her hands reassuringly on his shoulders.

"Calm down, young man" she urged softly, "it's okay...you're safe here." After about twenty seconds of breathing, Lincoln's nerves were finally calm enough for him to ask how he got into the bed. "You were brought here two hours ago by three policewomen" the nurse explained, "they said they found you unconscious on a sidewalk downtown and were covered in bruises."

After hearing this explanation, everything came back to Lincoln in a flash. In that instant, he remembered everything; from the walk he and Cristina had at Liam's farm to them on their way home from the bookstore. When this came into mind, Lincoln suddenly went pale with worry.

"Nurse, I need to ask you something and I hope the answer's good" he said desperately, "did a young redhead around my age come in here as well?" Sensing Lincoln's desperation, the nurse calmly laid him back against his pillow and assured him that his friend was fine. "One of the doctors had to give her some crème to help relieve the bruises on her cheeks, after we brought you in here" she explained, "but she's right as rain...despite being worried sick about _your _safety."

After that, she explained that aside from a few minor scratches and "one heck of a shiner;" the nurse assured Lincoln he'd be okay as well. "But...how did I get here" the boy mumbled, "last thing I heard before I passed out were the creeps laughing at me, my friend crying with fear and...sirens." Upon saying this, the door opened up and in came Officer Campos with Cristina in tow.

When she saw Lincoln up and awake, she gasped loudly with joy and rushed over to his bedside. "Lincoln, you're alright" she cried with joy while hugging him, "thank God...I was worried you were out cold." In an instant, Cristina suddenly realized what she was doing and pulled away while shyly blushing.

After his own blush subsided, Lincoln asked several questions; how did he get here, what was Miss Campos doing in the room with him and where were Hank and Hawk. "You may not be much of a fighter, _chamaco_" Campos said with a light chuckle, "but you can certainly take a beating as well as anyone I've seen." After that, she explained that Cristina sent a text to her and her partners at the house three hours ago.

"When we heard you were in trouble; we thought it was nothing serious" she stated, "but then, your friend e-mailed a video she was recording of the whole thing and that was enough to get us down there." Having said this, Officer Campos chuckled sheepishly and apologized for taking so long to get to him. "The important thing is you came" Lincoln said matter-of-factly, "on that note, I wanna say thank you for...whatever it is that happened."

With this statement, Campos began to playfully tell Lincoln and Cristina everything that happened after he passed out. To start with; when they saw how viciously Hawk was brutalizing Lincoln, Officer Higgins used her taser gun on him. After seeing his pal fall unconscious, Hank was ready to give the officers what for.

"Unfortunately for him, the punk didn't realize we didn't come alone" Campos chuckled, "that was when Carol, Dana, Whitney and Becky came in and...well, I think you can guess the rest." To prove the officer's words were true, Cristina took out her phone and brought up a picture. While still a little tired, Lincoln couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the four gals in question standing over the brutalized forms of Hank and Hawk.

"After that, Miss Higgins handcuffed the both of them and escorted them back to Hazeltucky" Cristina explained, "from what I heard, they'll be in Juvenile Hall until they're twenty!" This caused the young lady to let out a jolly laugh, causing Campos to join in with her. But after about a moment or so, they quickly stopped when they saw the sullen look on Lincoln's face.

"Why the long face, Linc" inquired Cristina, "those bullies will never harm anyone of us kids again, thanks to us." After letting out a sigh, Lincoln looked at Cristina and admitted that while all that was true; their day ended up a total bust. "I wanted things to go smoothly for us, to make up for screwing things up long ago" Lincoln confessed, "but look where we ended up."

For almost two minutes, no one spoke a word; fearing that doing so would only make things worse. But then, Officer Campos smiled at Lincoln and patted him affectionately on the cheek. "_Amigo_, I'm afraid you are mistaken" she stated, "while you rested, Cristina told us everything else that happened before the fight...and it sounded like you had a lot of fun."

Lincoln blinked in confusion, appearing baffled by the officer's words. Then, he turned slightly towards Cristina and asked if she was telling the truth. "I was, Lincoln" she said softly, "aside from what happened near the end, I did have a lot of fun with you today...thank you."

In an instant, the young lad found himself smiling softly. "I'm happy everything turned out great for you, Cristina" he murmured happily, "that is...I'm happy things turned out great for both of us." With that, Lincoln suddenly felt himself becoming more at ease and he asked the nurse if there was anything serious regarding his physical state. "Doctor found no signs of severe injury or broken bones" the nurse said with relief in her voice, "aside from a black eye and a few bruises, you're perfectly fine."

After that; Officer Campos said some people were going to clean up his scratches later and then, they'd help tend to his swollen eye. "After that, you'll be home in the morning" she stated, "you're gonna be okay." With that said, she gave Lincoln a hug and left him alone with Cristina while she and the doctor sort things out.

After a while; the young lady in question approached Lincoln's bedside, took him by the hand and smiled. "Thanks for standing up to those jerks earlier" she muttered, "that was really brave...a little dangerous but still, rather brave." Lincoln blushed slightly and assured Cristina it was no big deal.

"It's one thing to hassle _me_, I've dealt with it from my sisters for years" he declared, "but when one of my friends is in danger, I get really burned up!" Cristina giggled softly at his bold statement and, much to his surprise, gave him a light peck on the cheek; causing him to almost burn bright red. "Now, don't get used to that kind of thing" she said firmly, "as I said, I'm not ready for any romance...yet."

After saying this, she handed Lincoln his bag containing the books he purchased; including The Princess Bride. When he came back to his senses, Lincoln cleared his throat and assured Cristina that he perfectly understood her. "I'm more comfortable with us being friends anyway" he stated, "thanks for helping me out back there."

Cristina smiled warmly at Lincoln and assured him that he would always have her back. "So, I was thinking" she muttered, "when you get out; maybe...maybe we could hang out again and read your book together?" Lincoln took a moment to consider his lady friend's offer and then, when he looked inside his bag; he came up with the perfect response.

With a toothy grin upon his face; Lincoln patted Cristina's hand lightly, looked her in the eyes and said "as you wish."

The End

(First AN: Those of you who will read Lincoln's standoff with Hank and Hawk and call it "unrealistic;" remember what Officer Campos said. While Lincoln may not have many fighting skills like Lynn or Lori, he's certainly able to take a licking and keep on ticking. Plus, there's a very old saying that fits Lincoln's situation with the bullies rather well.  
"It's not about how hard you can punch, it's about how many hits you can take and still find the strength to get back up again." On that note, I think Lincoln's fight with the bullies was done rather well. But what do you all think?)

(Second AN: Despite all the hints; no, Linc and Cristina do _not_ end up as a couple at the end of this. They both agree that they aren't quite ready for a relationship just yet. That being said, he still has a spot for the likes of Cristina and any other gal he holds dear.)

(Final AN: Sorry if all the Princess Bride references seemed a bit much. But I figured that like me, Lincoln would also be a mad fan of the story as well as the movie. Those of you who haven't looked at either version, I highly recommend you look them up; the story is really charming.

On a side note; those of you who are confused by the "as you wish" line, the story suggested it was Westley's way of saying "I love you" to Buttercup. So, when Clyde said it to Lori and when Linc said it to Cristina; they were saying that very thing to the both of them...with Lincoln being the only one to earn a positive response from it)


	3. Great Lakes Getaway - Part One

Great Lakes Getaway with the Gal Pals (Part One)

(Story Summary: Linc and the Gals are off on a weekend trip to Great Lakes City. Everyone is anxious to see the sights, have some fun and most importantly, touch base with Ronnie Anne and the rest of her family. But during their visit, Lincoln notices something seems amiss with a certain member of the Casagrande Family; Bobby.

Concerned; Lincoln, with the aid of his friends, decides to try and help lift his surrogate big bro's spirits. But will their efforts be successful or will Bobby only sink deeper into his depression?)

Zooming across the expanse of a great bridge, we find a familiar van riding along with the traffic flow. Inside of said van, passersby would be able to hear loud cheers and whoops of delight from its passengers; which consisted of one white-haired preteen and ten young ladies. "WHOO-HOO! I am beyond excited, everybody" Kat shouted with joy, "I've wanted to visit the city for ages...but Mom always said it's 'too crazy' for a sweet girl like me."

Carol chuckled softly, muttering how "typical" it was for some mothers to make such a fuss. "Don't you worry none, Kat" she assured, "with all of us by your side, nothing...too Cray Cray will happen to you." After this, the gals proceeded to talk about what they had planned for their trip.

Meanwhile, Lincoln took a moment to address the viewer on what's going on. "This is a big weekend for all of us" he said with a delighted shiver, "for the next three to four days, we'll be at Great Lakes City; which means we'll be meeting up with a pair of old friends of ours." After saying this, Lincoln took out his phone and showed an image of everyone together at the park last Spring.

Along with everyone else and their families; the viewer caught a glimpse of Ronnie Anne Santiago and her elder cousin, Carlotta Casagrande standing with them. "These two were a big help for me and the Gal Pals, back when all that...bad stuff went down" Lincoln said with a grimace, "so...after not seeing them for some time, we're gonna stay in the city with them over the weekend!" After that, he shut off his phone and began to wonder how Ronnie Anne was doing.

But his train of thought was cut short, seconds later; when he suddenly felt someone tap on his shoulder. After letting out a surprised yelp, he turned around to see Jordan smiling at him. "Heh-heh...Sorry for scaring you, Lincoln" she chuckled sheepishly, "we just wanted to know what you can share with us about Great Lakes City; seeing as how you and Lori traveled there a few times."

After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Lincoln found the perfect way to describe his previous visits to the city. "Basically; it's loud, rather crowded and you can easily get lost; if you don't know where you're going" he admitted, "but there are loads of awesome places to check out there." From here, he began to list off all the places Ronnie Anne told him about in their video chats.

Kat, Whitney, Carol and Cristina were drawn to Margarita's Hair Salon, Phoebe hoped to get some good photos from the view at the tower, Dana was anxious to see if there were any good clothing stores around and Haiku hoped to find some book stores with some "decent" Goth themed poetry in them. As for Lincoln and the others, they were just itching to do some exploring around the city. "I'm also anxious for some of that delicious Casagrande grub" Lincoln confessed, "seriously, gang...if you loved my _dad's _cooking; wait until you taste the stuff Ronnie Anne's grandmother makes!"

He then began to list all the foods Mrs. Casagrande whips up on a regular basis; which, as expected, caused some of the gals to drool a little. "Dude...stop, please" Cici chuckled, "you're makin' me hungry with all those dishes!" Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little and warned everyone with empty stomachs that Mrs. Casagrande will waste no time giving them multiple helpings of her cooking.

"And wait until you meet Ronnie Anne's other cousins" he stated, "you've already met Carlotta but wait till you see her brothers." Feeling curious, several of the gals began to ask Lincoln questions about Ronnie Anne's other cousins. "Well...C.J. loves to play pirates" Lincoln replied, "so, keep a look out for a boy armed with a balloon sword."

Becky and Dana giggled a little at this reveal, claiming that it reminded them a little of their own siblings; back when they were young. "As for Carl, he likes to act like the big man of the house" Lincoln chuckled, "and...he has a bit of a crush on Lori." This reveal caused everyone to burst out laughing, several of them even went as far as to claim Carl seemed to behave much like Clyde.

"Carl is...a bit more stable than Clyde" Lincoln admitted, "for one thing; he doesn't go into 'Overload Mode,' whenever he sees Lori...don't tell either of them I said that, okay?" The girls sniggered a little, nodded and did a lip-sealing gesture over their mouths. "Lastly, there's Carlitos; the baby of the family" Lincoln stated, "he tends to mimic whatever anyone and everyone is doing around him."

He then told them all the stories Ronnie Anne told him that involved Carlitos copying her, Bobby or anyone else in the room. "I once saw him copying Bobby during one of his chat sessions with Lori" Lincoln said with a chuckle, "he did the kissy faces and _everything!_" He then began to mimic said chat sessions but with the mannerisms of a toddler.

This display caused most of the crew to burst into a mad fit of laughter, save for two of their members. Haiku, while still keeping up her Gothic reserve, chose to simply smile softly and let out a quiet laugh. Carol meanwhile, was keeping her focus on the road ahead...while also trying her darndest to hold in a laugh.

"This family sounds as lively as yours, lil' dude" Phoebe chuckled, "which means we might be in for a fun trip."

(Quick cut to the Casagrande building)

While Lincoln and Co. continue on their drive to the city; at the same point in time, the Casagrande Family was already hard at work in prepping for their arrival. Frida was helping set up decorations, Rosa was prepping a big meal for their guests (as Lincoln predicted) and Maria (Bobby and Ronnie Anne's mother) was talking with the other tenants; asking if anyone of them would be willing to allow his other friends to bunk with them.

Much to her surprise, this request was immediately answered by quite a few of them. "Sure, Mrs. Santiago" Sid said enthusiastically, "I'd be happy to let Lincoln bunk with _me_; if you guys don't have enough space." After her, Mr. Nakamura agreed to let one or two stay with him; as long as they didn't mind being in the presence of a dog.

Next; Mrs. Kernicky, one of the building's eldest occupants, also volunteered to share her space. "It'll be like havin' my grandkids over" she chuckled, "I've been lookin' for a new partner for my paddleball practice." The last to accept was Georgia, who said she and Miranda had been itching for some company for sometime.

Lastly; Mrs. Flores and her son, Alexis also offered to help welcome the visitors. The latter's only concern was that he was worried Lincoln or some of his friends might not like him playing his tuba. "Don't worry about it, dude" Ronnie Anne assured, "my pal is used to hearing loud music, after living with a musician for several years."

Following this; Mrs. Flores hoped her dog, Buttercup wouldn't be tempted to eat anything that belonged to Lincoln and his friends. This led Ronnie Anne to make a note to remind the likes of Carol, Phoebe and even Haiku to store their valuables somewhere safe. After that, it seemed like every loose end was tied and that everyone was ready to prepare for their guests' arrival.

"Thank you all so much for agreeing to this, everyone" Maria said gratefully, "I know Lincoln and his friends will all really appreciate your kindness." While he _was_ excited to see the young Loud boy once more, Grandpa Hector couldn't help but think he was pushing it in bringing so many people with him. "Nonsense, _mi amor_" Rosa said reassuringly, "this doesn't feel any different from attending to our own family."

After taking a moment to consider his wife's words, Hector realized she had a valid point. "Plus, it's not like we won't have enough supplies" Carlos stated, "_Mama_ has made enough food to feed an entire military unit." To prove his point, he revealed two large tables decorated with varieties of succulent Mexican dishes.

The combined aromas of these dishes were so tantalizing; even the house pets, Sergio (the Parrot) and Lalo (the pudgy and affectionate Mastiff) desired to taste some. But like a mother hen protecting her eggs, Rosa refused to let them or anyone else within arm's reach of the food. "No, no one is eating yet" she said firmly, "not until our guests arrive."

This caused her grandchildren to groan loudly in protest. This was rather ironic, considering how much they often dreaded her always making them eat too much. "But _Abuela_, we've been waiting for, like...ever" Carl groaned, "how do we even know they're coming?" As if Fate had heard his cries, everyone jumped slightly at the distant yet shrill sound of a car horn beeping.

This noise caused Lalo to bark excitedly, while everyone else wondered who could be making the racket. Upon taking a look outside the window, the Casagrandes spotted a van parked in front of the front entrance. At first, they didn't immediately recognize the vehicle...until they spotted one of its occupants; a certain white-haired lad in an orange shirt.

"Lincoln is here, HORRAY" cheered CJ, "time to break out my pirate gear." The rest of his family felt equally excited and they wasted no time putting the final touches together. "Sid, you and Sergio go and fetch Ronnie Anne" Maria ordered, "you can all greet them while we finish up here."

After each of them gave a nod, Sergio went off to collect Ronnie Anne while she went down to the lobby. Out of all of them, it seemed as if Sid was even more excited to see Lincoln than the Casagrandes were. Of course, there one interaction was via a webcam broadcast; one that had been shown in a courtroom only months ago.

After hearing all the stories from Ronnie Anne about all the experiences they've had together, good and...less so; Sid was eager to get to know her bestie's supposed "crush." "I wonder if he likes animals" she thought under her breath, "if he does, I can't wait to show him all my pals at the zoo."

(Line Break)

Once they had collected their things from out of the van, Lincoln and the Gal Pals made their way into the main lobby. Upon entering, the girls gasped in awe at their surroundings. "This place looks so nice" Dana gushed, "modern yet very homey." Before continuing on, Phoebe seized the opportunity to take her first photo op of their stay.

"I think I saw a store next door to this place, guys" she stated, "I'm gonna snag a pic of it before we head up." Lincoln immediately realized that the store his friend was referring to must've been the Casagrande Family Bodega. "If you see Bobby in there, tell him we've arrived" he stated, "I've been anxious to touch base with him again."

Some of the younger Gal Pals members were quite perplexed by this reveal, as if unaware of Bobby's new profession. "Yeah, Lori told me about it" Whitney stated, "she said he really likes working at this place." Their curiosity piqued, the rest of the crew agreed to quickly pop in the bodega and see what the fuss was about.

But just as they were nearing the entrance, Lincoln suddenly felt a swift yet light jab at his arm. "Welcome back to the city, lame-o" a familiar voice rang out from behind him, "and I see you've brought your new crew with you." With a joyful smile on his face, Lincoln turned around to see Ronnie Anne standing behind him.

"Hey, guys; welcome to the building" the young Latina girl stated, "Sid and I thought we'd come out to greet you." As if on cue, a young Asian-American girl about Ronnie Anne's age suddenly burst out the door. She had long brown hair, light skin, freckles upon her cheeks, wore a pink headband, a blue long-sleeved shirt that revealed her shoulders, black shorts, black boots with red socks and small white earrings

Upon seeing the group before her, Sid suddenly performed a feat of super speed and proceeded to greet everyone at a startling speed. "Hi, everyone; nice to meet you" she said pleasantly, "name's Sid Chang and I'll be your welcoming committee today." After taking a moment to allow the strength to return to their arms, the gang smiled at Sid and returned her greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you in person, Sid" Lincoln stated, "I'm Lincoln Loud and these are friends." With that introduction made, each member of the Gal Pals greeted the young lady in their own way. "Nice to have you here, guys" Ronnie Anne said with a smile, "the family's been on pins and needles waiting for you."

With that said, she walked up the steps and prepared to open the doors for everyone. But before she could open it even the slightest inch, something burst through them and landed on top of Lincoln. Almost immediately, Carol and Whitney were prepared to leap into action and rescue their ward.

But then, just as they were about to grab hold of the large dog; the sudden sounds of joyful laughter suddenly froze them in their tracks. Confused, they all looked down to see Lincoln giggling madly while receiving a series of wet dog kisses. "Okay, Lalo...okay" Lincoln gasped between laughs, "I'm happy to see you too!"

Upon hearing him address the dog by name, the gals heaved a sigh of relief and immediately lowered their guards. Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne helped Lincoln back onto his feet; while Sid gently moved Lalo off of him. "Like I said, everyone's been anxious to see you" chuckled Ronnie Anne, "the pets included."

After a while; the gals became comfortable enough to approach the large dog and greet him with a series of strokes, pets, tickles and coos. Then, a bird suddenly came flying out the door and perched itself atop of Ronnie Anne's extended arm. "Brawk! C'mon, ladies" it squawked impatiently, "show the bird some lovin' too."

Upon hearing the bird, Phoebe turned her attention towards it and gasped in awe. "OMG! Is that a jungle parrot" she cried with delight, "I've gotta get a picture of it!" With that said, she pulled out her camera and immediately went into full Photographer Mode. "Don't go overboard with the snapshots, Feebs" Cici stated warily, "you might send him flying away."

This statement caused Ronnie Anne to burst out slightly with laughter. "Don't worry about it, guys" she said reassuringly, "Sergio loves this kind of attention." To prove her point, she directed everyone's attention towards the parrot; who was doing a series of poses and expressions for Phoebe.

"This is so cool" murmured Cristina, "I've never seen a parrot act like _this _before, his behavior is almost...human." In response to this idea, Ronnie Anne said that this behavior was the result of "_Tio _Carlos_"_ spending so many years educating him. "From what _Abuela_ told me, he's been teaching Sergio all sorts of words and phrases since he was a baby parrot" she stated, "of course, this was _also_ around the time everyone called him by his...real name."

This reveal suddenly caused everyone's eyes to widen and they immediately asked what the parrot's true name was. "I can't really say; otherwise, he'd throw a fit" Ronnie Anne whispered, "but to give you a hint...it's a type of popular dessert." While Lincoln and the Gals racked their brains in trying to decipher the hint, Sergio was giving everyone the "stink eye;" including Ronnie Anne.

"Squawk! No time for that nonsense" he exclaimed, "the _familia _is waiting upstairs, _andale!_" With this command, everyone made their way inside of the building. But as the last of the gals walked in, Lincoln smiled and secretly whispered "Cupcake...his real name is Cupcake."

The Gals collectively gasped at this reveal and let out a series of muffled giggles. But anytime Sergio looked back at them suspiciously, they quickly stopped and did their best to appear "innocent."

(Line Break)

The moment the door was opened, Lincoln and the Gals were suddenly greeted with a loud "SURPRISE!" As one would expect; some like Dana, Cristina, Paige and even Haiku were caught off-guard by this and almost fell over themselves in shock. But upon their recovery, everyone chuckled with approval and waved hello to everyone.

"Welcome back to the city, _Muchacho_" said Hector while shaking Lincoln's hand, "and you must be his lady friends." Carol smiled at the old man, shook his hand and thanked him for allowing everyone into his home. After that, they were all immediately pulled over to the buffet table by Grandma Rosa.

"You all must be hungry after your drive" she stated, "so, I whipped up...a little something for you all." When the gals got a look at the spread before them, they believed that it was more than "a little something." "I suggest you take up her offer, everybody" whispered Ronnie Anne, "she is _very_ insistent, when it comes to everyone needing a good meal."

At first, Carol and a few others were prepared to say they couldn't possibly eat as much as Mrs. Casagrande wanted them too. But then, as the aroma from all the food filled their nostrils; the gals' collective stomachs growled loudly with desire. "Come now, _Niñas_" Rosa insisted, "there is plenty for everyone." After a moment of mental debating, the Gals sighed deeply and decided to take up on their hostess' offer.

Lincoln was the first to collect what he desired, which Rosa took great joy in seeing. Then, Dana decided to sample some of the_ arroz con pollo_ that was steaming inside of a white dish. Upon taking a bite of it, she suddenly let out a muffled squeak of surprise; which caught the attention of her friends.

"Dee, what's the matter" Whitney asked worriedly, "was it too hot or did it taste too strong for you?" After waiting for her to chew her food up and swallow it, everyone anxiously waited for Dana to answer. Finally, a quivering smile appeared on her face (like that of Charlie Brown's) and she murmured "this...is the greatest rice...in the history of rice."

This response caused Rosa to gush with joy, apparently pleased that someone new now loved her cooking. After that, the others decided to take some food as well and they immediately fell in love; after eating a few bites. Carol went gaga over the guacamole, Jordan savored every bit of the corn on the cob (which Rosa's family called _Elote_,) Haiku was drawn more towards the gazpacho (claiming the color reminded her of blood and that the cold taste actually "warmed" her up on the inside) and so on.

In time, every one of Lincoln's friends was sampling Mrs. Casagrande's food. "This is just delish" gushed Stella, "I simply _must_ get your recipe for your soup, Mrs. C; my Nana would absolutely adore it!" Flattered by such a request, the Casagrande matriarch happily obliged the young lady and added the recipe to her phone.

Then, from up behind the armchair; the girls squealed softly as a young man dressed in pirate garb suddenly struck Lincoln with his sword. "Lincoln, ready to set sail" the young lad asked eagerly, "the seas of adventure call to us." After taking a moment to greet him, Lincoln chuckled warmly at CJ's enthusiasm and gestured at his plate of food.

"Let me finish my meal first and _then_, we can set sail" he requested, "maybe some of my friends would like to join us." At first, CJ was prepared to deny the idea; following the old "pirate superstition" about women being among sailors was "bad luck." But because they were Lincoln's friends, he was more than willing to make an exception.

Then, without warning; a flash suddenly blinded the group. Once their vision cleared up, seconds later; the Gals spotted a young woman holding an old film camera and smiling at them. "Welcome to the city, girls" she said warmly, "I'm Frida, Ronnie Anne's aunt and the family's resident photographer."

Upon hearing this reveal, Phoebe smiled brightly; revealing she had a passion for photography as well. The moment this was said, Frida immediately burst into tears. "Oh, no" Phoebe cried worriedly, "did I say something wrong?"

Ronnie Anne couldn't help but roll her eyes a little at her aunt's behavior. "It's okay, guys" she said reassuringly, "my aunt can just be a tad...overly-emotional at times." When she finally calmed down, a minute later; Frida apologized to everyone for her tears and said it simply warmed her heart to meet a kindred spirit.

At that moment, the door for the apartment next door suddenly burst open; shocking everyone. Then, a familiar young lady came running outside; Carlotta. "_Mama_, is something wrong" she asked with great concern, "I was in the middle of primping and I heard you crying and..."

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt, the moment she saw who else was in the room. When Lincoln saw the looks upon the ladies' faces, he quickly plugged his fingers into his ears; which seemed to confuse everyone around him. But before anyone could question Lincoln on why he was doing this, there came a sudden shockwave of excited shrieks and squeals from the girls.

Afterwards, Carlotta rushed over and hugged Carol with all her might. "Whoa! I wasn't expecting _all _of you to come" she gushed adorably, "welcome to the city." As the ladies continued to greet one another, a young boy came walking in while drinking from an apple juice box. When he got a look at all the older girls in the room, the boy almost choked on it.

This display caused Carol's protective instincts to kick in. Without a moment's pause; she rushed over and began rubbing the boy's back soothingly, in hopes it would help ease his breathing. When his coughing subsided, Carl glanced up at Carol and suddenly grew very nervous.

"There you are, little buddy" she said soothingly, "you're gonna be okay." The whole time the blonde teen was consoling him, Carl suddenly found himself feeling entranced by her. When his mind finally snapped back to normal, Carl did his best to appear "macho" in front of her and the other gals.

"So sorry for startling you, ladies" he said in a suave tone, "I just didn't realize that we would be in the presence of angels." While they _did _find the compliment flattering, the Gals couldn't help but giggle/roll their eyes slightly. "Sorry, lil' Bro" Carlotta chuckled, "but that suave attitude won't work on them."

Once they stopped laughing, the Gals commented on how adorable the boy's behavior was. "Uh...U-Uh, I'm not adorable" Carl stammered bashfully, "I am a man and men can't be adorable!" No sooner had he said this, Ronnie Anne commented on how most men don't usually drink out of tiny juice boxes either.

Mildly offended, Carl crossed his arms and proclaimed his cousin didn't "understand what manliness was" (or something along those lines.) Then; seconds later, a young man came into the room. Ronnie Anne introduced him as "_Tio _Carlos" and added that due to his job as a teacher at the local college, he was a huge book nerd.

"However...he's not _just _about books" she whispered, "one time, I discovered he was once an extreme skateboarder." While trying their best not to do so too loudly, half of the Gal Pals couldn't help but giggle in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Ronnie" Phoebe snickered, "but...but your uncle doesn't look like a skateboarding type."

Somehow, Frida overheard their conversation and assured the young teen that her niece spoke the truth. "He was known as 'Carlos X,' back when we were in college" she stated, "he used skateboarding as a means to get to school...until I urged him to stop for his safety." Some of the girls thought this was a bummer, thinking that everyone should express their talents whenever possible.

"Don't worry, ladies" Ronnie Anne stated, "once in a while...my aunt lets him do a few runs; as long as he's protected." The girls murmured softly in approval amongst themselves, apparently pleased with the compromise.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the Gals began to wander the building; anxious to meet the other tenants and to learn where they would be staying. Then, as they were passing Sid's; some of the gals suddenly shrieked with fear. With a start; Lincoln turned around and saw Dana, Whitney and Cristina huddled together fearfully.

"What the...What's wrong" cried Lincoln, "what's got you three so startled?" With a quivering hand, Cristina pointed towards the floor; where everyone saw a long snake slithering across the floor. "Don't worry, gang" Sid assured, "that's just one of the reptiles my mom looks after."

This statement seemed to slightly ease the girls' concern. But they began to wonder what sort of profession their friend's mother must've had that involved looking after "yicky" snakes. "From what Ronnie Anne told me, Mrs. Chang is a zoologist" Lincoln murmured, "she cares for all sorts of different animals down at the city zoo or any kind she helps rescue."

Despite her friend's rather informative explanation, it didn't quite explain why there was a snake in the hall. "It's part of my mom's job" Sid explained, "sometimes, brings some of the animals home, while their habitats are being tended to." Some of the gals (like Jordan, Stella and Phoebe) thought it was cool that she got to bunk with such exotic creatures.

The rest of them, on the other hand either thought it would feel either too crowded or uncomfortable with such creatures around. "Don't worry" Sid assured, "my apartment is big enough for at least, two of you to bunk with." No sooner had she said this, Phoebe and Jordan immediately took up on the offer and stood beside Sid.

Then, they suddenly heard a set of tiny yet rapid footfalls approaching them. The trio of girls turned around to see an adorable little girl racing towards the snake they spotted earlier. "Noodle, what'cha doin' crawling around the halls" she asked in a mildly scolding tone, "you might scare some of the other tenants."

After scooping up the snake, the little girl looked up and stared in confusion at the amount of strangers standing beside her sister. "Um...are you guys some of the tenants" she asked warily, "if so, I'm sorry if Noodle scared you; he slithered away before I could put him back in his carrier." Upon hearing the little one's politeness; Carol, Whitney and Dana simply gushed adorably.

"Oh, how cute" cooed Stella, "who's this little sweetheart?" Sid giggled softly and introduced everyone to her younger sister, Adelaide. "Don't be fooled by her cuteness" she whispered jokingly, "at times, she can be quite sassy." Lincoln smiled at Sid and assured her that after living with ten sisters, he's used to sassy females.

"Adelaide, this is Lincoln" Sid said while gesturing towards the boy, "he's Ronnie Anne's bestie from her old hometown." Upon hearing these words, Adelaide tilted her head curiously and began to approach the boy in question. Then, she started eyeing him intently; as if studying him or something.

Understandably, this behavior was making Lincoln feel rather nervous. "OH! Now, I remember you" Adelaide gasped suddenly, "you're the boy on the TV that Ronnie Anne was talking to a long time ago." With this declaration, Lincoln allowed himself to relax; apparently pleased that the little lady wasn't feeling suspicious of him or whatever else.

"Yup, that's me" he stated, "I'd explain what happened to you...but you're a touch too young to fully understand, no offense." Adelaide giggled softly at Lincoln and not only assured him that he was fine. But she also told him that her parents (in their own way) explained everything to her already.

"It's just awesome to finally meet you" she exclaimed, "but...who are the ladies?" Upon hearing this, some of the Gal Pals giggled humbly; seemingly flattered by the little one calling them ladies. "We're some of Lincoln's friends from back home" Carol stated, "it's very nice to meet you, sweetie...and your little pet."

No sooner had she said this, both Adelaide _and_ Sid burst out laughing; which seemed to confuse the gang. When they managed to calm down enough, Adelaide explained that Noodle wasn't her pet. "Every once in a while, the zoo animals' pens and habitats need to be cleaned or fixed up" she explained, "whenever that happens, my mommy sometimes brings them to our apartment."

From here, Sid added that Noodle's place in the Reptile House was being cleaned out of all his shedded skin. Once finished, they would bring him back to the zoo. "So...you two actually live with some zoo animals, legally" inquired Kat, "that is both cool...and strange at the same time."

Upon hearing these words; Sid admitted that at times, living with the animals _could_ feel odd. "But some of them are actually really fun to hang with" she said in an excited tone, "for example; Silver, a silverback gorilla my mom helped rescue from the Congo, really loves to play Chess." This reveal caused Lincoln to chuckle a little.

"My sister, Lisa would love to play a round with him; if he's as good as you say" he stated, "she absolutely loves Chess." Upon saying this, Lincoln's mind began to envision his sister and Silver the gorilla playing a game against each other. When his mind snapped back to reality, Lincoln made a mental note to try and introduce Lisa to the gorilla...someday.

"Follow me inside, everyone" Sid instructed while leading them to her apartment door, "two of you will sleep here with us...if that's okay." Almost immediately, the girls agreed that the idea was more than okay. Furthermore, Phoebe and Haiku immediately chose to bunk with the Changs during their stay.

This news made Adelaide very happy, to say the least. "YAY! Now, I have two new friends to play Princesses with" she cheered, "but which one of you could be the dragon?" At first, the two Gals found the idea to be...a little too "girly" for their tastes. But Sid quickly brought up that when her sister played Princesses, she'd have one or both of them play as warriors.

Oh...okay, cool" Phoebe murmured in understanding, "but princess getups aren't really _my_ style and I don't think I could pull off the dragon look." Upon hearing this dilemma, Lincoln quickly offered to volunteer for the role. "I used to play this sort of game with two of my little sisters, back home" he said, "I just hope I can be a decent dragon."

With that said, he slipped on the dragon head and followed Adelaide into the room. The Gals couldn't help but giggle at how adorable the scene was. "So, Sid; I understand that your mom works with animals" murmured Stella, "but what does your dad do?"

Rather than give a verbal reply, Sid took out her phone and brought up a photo of her at the subway station. There, she was standing next to the train conductor and smiling. "That's my dad" Sid stated, "he's a subway conductor and sometimes, I help him out at the controls."

This reveal quickly piqued everyone's interest and some of them felt the desire to explore the subway with Sid. But then, others wanted to see the zoo animals Mrs. Chang worked with, explore the city and a whole bunch of other things. "Relax, Gals; we're here all weekend" Carol assured, "we've got all kinds of chances to try everything we like here."

After that, she decided to divide everyone into groups. Jordan would be exploring the city with Stella, Paige, Kat and Haiku; While Whitney, Dana, Cristina and Becky would be with Carol. "Mind if I tag along, ladies" Carlotta chimed in suddenly, "I need to head down to Margarita's for my weekly primping."

With this simple statement, Carol's interest was suddenly piqued. "This...Margarita you speak of, I'm guessing she's a stylist" she asked, "if so, I wonder if she could give my hair a little bounce?" Almost immediately, Carlotta lightly scoffed at her friends words; insisting that she looked just fine.

While she warmly appreciated the compliment, Carol shook her head and proclaimed she was in "dire need" of a touch up. "My hair doesn't look as good as you think, girl" she stated while cupping her hair in her hands, "_this_ takes like..._six_ cans of dry shampoo after every shower and it's _still_ as flat as pizza dough."

While their friend's complaints seemed valid; to do what _she _desired, the Gals feared it would collectively cost them a pretty penny. "Don't worry, everybody" Carlotta said reassuringly, "Margarita is not only the best stylist in town, she's also the cheapest." This bit of news seemed to please some of the Gals and they immediately took up on her offer.

"Why don't you come with us, Linky" inquired Dana, "I know we're a ways from our monthly Spa Day but this should be fun." Lincoln smiled at his lady friend and said he would be happy to join. "There's just something I've gotta take care of first" he stated, "where's Bobby, I didn't see him when we arrived."

The moment he made this inquiry, looks of sorrow suddenly formed on both Ronnie Anne and Carlotta's faces. Feeling both confused and concerned, Lincoln asked them if he said something wrong. "Naw, dude; it's not you" Ronnie Anne murmured, "it's just...Bobby's been a little...out of sorts, lately."

This answer only seemed to make Lincoln even more worried about things and he asked, once again where Bobby was. Soon after, the Gals began to express their own concerns about him. For a moment, both Latinas seemed to hesitate in wanting to tell everyone what's happening.

But then, they realized that they needed to know; especially Lincoln. "The truth is...Bobby hasn't really been the same, since the end of Spring Break" Ronnie Anne sighed, "despite you and Lori patching things up, Lincoln; he can't bring himself to reconcile with Lori...not yet anyway." Upon hearing this news, Lincoln suddenly felt as if a heavy weight had been placed upon his shoulders.

Now, admittedly; there were times where Bobby and Lori's relationship would be more annoying than romantic to him. Whenever he heard their baby talk, disturb his R&R with loud phone conversations or run up the power bill with their video chats; he would feel somewhat bothered (for lack of a better word.) But at the same time, he admired Bobby's devotion and found it touching that their relationship still continued; despite them being apart.

Furthermore, after he had the chance to spend time with him; Lincoln found himself liking Bobby's company. In time, he began to look at him as the big brother he always wanted but never had. With all this in mind, hearing the news that Bobby and Lori had yet to patch things up started to make him feel slightly guilty.

"He really hasn't talked to Lori since the trial ended" Lincoln asked confusedly, "but...that was months ago, I've seen them make up incredibly quick after something went wrong." While Ronnie Anne agreed with him, she reminded her white-haired bestie that what happened back then was bigger than when he accidentally called her gross.

"In all the time he knew Lori, Bobby never once saw her do the stuff that the court revealed" she stated, "as such, it all left him feeling rather conflicted." When someone asked what she meant by conflicted; Ronnie Anne answered in saying that while one part of him still worshiped Lori like a "goddess," another part felt uncomfortable towards her apparent aggressive side.

"He knows what Lori did to Lincoln was inexcusable" she groaned in exasperation, "but...after being with her for so long, Bobby just can't bring himself to break things off with her." Upon hearing this, the Gals didn't know whether to consider this admirable loyalty or his usual absent-mindedness. Then, at that moment; Lincoln volunteered to go speak with Bobby himself and see what's going on.

"No way, dude" Ronnie Anne interjected, "this weekend is about you guys; I don't want my family's drama getting in the way of it." Carol couldn't help but agree with her words, reminding Lincoln of how hard he and everyone around him worked to get past all of said drama. "I'm well aware of all that, guys; really" he stated, "but...I can't just enjoy myself while one of my best bros is suffering."

To put things into perspective, Lincoln asked the Gals if _they_ would do the same for one of their besties; if they were in _his _place. "You know we would, dude" Carlotta stated, "but the fam and I have tried _everything_ to snap Bobby out of his funk." Ronnie Anne nodded in agreement with her cousin and brought up all the things her family tried to do to bring Bobby back to his old self.

Grandpa Hector tried asking his advice on providing new feng shui to the bodega, something Bobby often loved doing...but that didn't work. Rosa tried making his favorite meals...but Bobby didn't touch any of it. C.J. tried getting him to play pirates together but Bobby just didn't have the heart to do it.

Even Carl tried snapping Bobby out of his funk by trying to intimidate or belittle him. But he barely responded to anything he said, as if his words simply sounded like white noise in his ears. "Even Mom tried talking to him on multiple occasions" Ronnie Anne sighed, "but she barely got anything out of him other than a soft 'yup,' 'no thanks' or 'okay.'"

With everything being laid out on the table, both Latinas looked at Lincoln intently. "With all this in mind, we'll ask you again" Ronnie Anne murmured, "with all due respect...how can _you_ hope to succeed where _we _all failed?" After a great deal of thought, Lincoln decided that it was time for more of a friend to try and talk with him.

"I won't make any promises that what I say will snap Bobby out of his funk" he admitted, "but I will do my best to help, no matter what." With that said, Lincoln began to make his way towards Bobby's room; only to suddenly be stopped by Adelaide. "You can't leave yet, Lincoln" she stated firmly, "I still need a dragon."

Lincoln chuckled heartily at the little girl and slipped on the dragon head mask. "You're right, lil' lady" he chuckled, "I'll speak with Bobby later...but we've got a game to play." With that, he and Adelaide hurried into her apartment; ready to start their game.

(Scene Change: One of the building's upper floors)

After a half hour of playing with Adelaide, Lincoln and the Gals explored the building; all while getting to know everyone else who lived there. Cristina and Jordan met up with Mr. Nakamura and they quickly fell in love with his pet dog. "Word of warning, girls" the man said under his breath, "Nelson doesn't like me talking about it in public...but he tends to have a little of a gas problem."

As if on cue, the dog let out a soft bark; which was then followed by a small toot noise. While this _was_ slightly unpleasant, it did little to drive the girls away. "Don't worry, Sir" Jordan assured, "I have a dog of my own and I'm used to that sort of thing."

Not long after, Cristina also gave her a-okay towards Nelson's "problem." "It's no big deal for me either" she stated, "as long as I get to be around this cutie-wutie, I can handle a little gas." After that, she quickly began stroking her hand through his fur; which Nelson happily welcomed.

Meanwhile, in another part of the hall; Paige was getting herself situated in Cory's apartment. Upon placing her bags on the floor, she noticed several game consoles in the boy's room. "From all that, I'm guessing you're quite the gamer" Paige deduced, "what sort of genres do you like?" Without missing a beat, Cory began to list all his favorite types of games; from first-person shooters to RPGs.

"I'm a bit of a gamer myself" she stated, "my personal faves are dancing/rhythm games." Upon hearing the name of the game, Cory's eyes seemed to gleam like stars. "So...you like dancing, huh" he inquired, "how about we play a round of _'Shake It Up?'_"

Paige blinked confusedly and confessed that she wasn't quite familiar with such a game. No sooner had she said this, Cory tossed an odd-looking wand-like joystick into her hands. Then, he directed her attention towards his TV screen; where Paige saw two game characters standing in place in front of a flashy background.

"The game's easy" Cory stated, "all you do is try and keep in sync with the characters' dance moves; the more you keep up, the more points you get." He ended his explanation in saying that the winner is determined by whoever has the highest score. "It's only fair to warn you, I am a master at this game" Cory said proudly, "are you still up for the challenge?"

After taking a few seconds to think things over, Paige gave Cory a smile and decided to play along. "Give me a wand, dude" she chuckled confidently, "I'm gonna show you what my friends saw at the arcade." With that decree, the both of them gathered their game wands and readied themselves for the game.

(Scene Change: Mrs. Kernicky's apartment)

As we leave Paige behind for a moment, our story brings us to the home of Mrs. Kernicky; who is helping Becky and Dana settle into her apartment. "Make yourselves at home, girls" she said kindly, "it's nice to have some company here." Both teens sounded off their thanks for the woman's generosity and Becky began rolling out her sleeping bag, while Dana got permission to sleep on the sofa.

As the latter teen sat down comfortably, she looked over on a nightstand and saw a plate of cookies. Soon; she began to think like her brother, Chaz and prepared to snatch one. But just as her hand was inches away from the pile, Mrs. Kernicky turned in her direction with a seemingly firm look in her eyes.

In that moment, Dana froze stiff like a dear caught in the headlights; shaking with fear. Then, Mrs. K suddenly started giggling heartily; which caused Dana to lower her guard ever so slightly. "Help yourself to a cookie; if you're hungry, dear" she insisted warmly, "I baked them fresh this morning."

After letting out a soft sigh of relief, Dana picked up a cookie and took a bite of it. Seconds later, she let out soft murmurs of approval and gave Mrs. Kernicky a thumbs up. "I'm happy you like them, dear" she said in an appreciative tone, "I always love makin' cookies for some of my friends here in the building."

The two ladies couldn't help but smile at their hostess, each of them thinking the same thought; that she truly was like the kindly granny of the complex. "So, Mrs. K; what do you like to do for fun in the city" inquired Becky, "if I may ask?" Without hesitation, the woman revealed two of her favorite hobbies; paddleball and exercising.

"I always love jogging to the park or working out here in my apartment" Mrs. Kernicky explained, "but other times, I love getting my paddleball on." After that, she hurried over to the opposite side of the room to retrieve a pair of items; a tennis racket and a small rubber ball. Then, she asked the girls to take a seat and "watch the master at work."

While mildly confused about what Mrs. Kernicky was plotting; the girls still complied, regardless and took a seat on the sofa. What happened next took them completely off-guard. In a flash, Mrs. Kernicky started smacking the rubber ball at the walls at all manner of angles.

What really surprised the girls was her amazing reflexes and agility. Admittedly, there were moments where Becky presumed Mrs. K would accidentally hit one of her knickknacks with the ball. She and Dana even went as far as to make a bet on whether or not she'd miss.

But much to their surprise; no matter how strong she hit the ball or what direction it went in, Mrs. Kernicky's valuables were unharmed. After a while, she caught the ball in her hand and smiled at the girls while panting softly.

"What do ya think, ladies" she asked boldly, "do I have the skills to pay the bills or what?" For what felt like ages, neither Becky nor Dana said anything; due to their minds trying to process what they've witnessed. Finally, they gazed up at the old woman and said one simple phrase in unison; "how did you do all that and teach it to us now."

Mrs. K smiled wide at them, thinking that she would be in for quite a fun time with them around.

(Line Break)

An hour passed and everyone was happily situated in their respective lodgings. At the same time, the Gal Pals were becoming well acquainted with the tenants they were bunking with. "Dudes, this place _rocks_" cheered Phoebe, "tomorrow, Mrs. Chang is bringing me and Haiku to the zoo with her and Sid!"

Upon saying this, she added how excited she was at the idea of all the snapshots she might get. "I love it here too" Stella said with delight, "Miranda and Georgia are so nice to hang with." Soon, the rest of the Gals were gushing about how wonderful the other residents of the building were.

But while all this was going on, Lincoln seemed to be a little down in the mouth. Upon taking notice of this, Carol broke away from the crowd and hugged her young ward lightly. "What's the face, Linky" she muttered softly, "aren't you having fun here like the rest of us?"

In an instant, Lincoln snapped out of his stupor and smiled up at Carol. "Oh...yeah, I'm having loads of fun here" he murmured, "I've just got a nagging thought in my head that just can't seem to go away." With a soft smile on her face and without missing a beat, Haiku questioned if he was thinking of Bobby.

"No need to ask me how I know that" she murmured, "it's written all over your face." At first, Lincoln tried to think of some kind of little white lie to both cover up his true feelings and to ease the girls' concern. But he quickly realized that doing so would be the coward's way out.

Finally, Lincoln let out a sigh and decided to come clean. "Truth is...I _have_ been worrying about Bobby" he murmured, "I mean...how can I think about having a good time here while one of my friends is feeling so crumby." Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed from joyous to sullen in the blink of an eye.

"We understand how you feel...we really do" Dana muttered, "but how can _you_ hope to succeed where Bobby's family failed, Linky?" After giving his friend a warm hug; Lincoln said that rather than have family try and talk to him, Bobby needed a close friend to confide in instead. "There are many things that I choose to talk with Clyde about rather than my family, at times" he stated, "and he's done the same with me."

The Gals and the Casagrandes couldn't argue with Lincoln's logic. Yet at the same time, there was still a lingering feeling of doubt. "I can't promise I'll be successful" the boy admitted, "but if I can lift Bobby's spirits up just a little bit...it'll be enough." Upon hearing his pledge, Maria smiled warmly at Lincoln and gave him a big hug in gratitude.

"Thank you so much for this, Lincoln" she sighed, "we wish you the best in your efforts." After this, Rosa told Lincoln to look for Bobby up on the roof. "He's been going up there since the end of March" she murmured, "he hoped the air would help clear his head...but it hasn't."

Lincoln thanked the Casagrande matriarch for her information and proceeded up the stairs towards the roof, hoping to find Bobby at the top.

(Line Break)

Moments later, Lincoln came bursting out the rooftop door; panting loudly with exhaustion. "Maybe...Mr. Scully...should consider...installing...an elevator for this place" he heaved, "now...where to find Bobby." After taking a moment to catch his breath (as well as wring out any excess sweat from his shirt,) Lincoln began scanning the area around him.

Alas; all Lincoln could see were some empty wooden boxes, a stool, a cornhole goal and a collection of pigeons (one of which was missing its leg and looking rather sickly.) _"Ah, dang it"_ he thought bitterly, _"I was really hoping to find Bobby up here...guess I'll have to check the bodega."_ With a deep sigh, Lincoln turned on his heels and prepared to head back down the stairs.

Then, all of a sudden; Lincoln could hear the faint sounds of someone singing softly. It was faint, that much was understood...but it sounded relatively close and rather familiar. _"It sounds like that 'Ooh, Girl' song from Boyz Will Be Boyz" _Lincoln thought,_ "but it feels...rather gloomy."_

Without a second thought, he began his search to find the source of the singing. Surprisingly, he didn't have to look very far or very long. Soon, Lincoln finally spotted Bobby; who was sitting by the eastern side of the roof, sadly looking over the cityscape.

"Bobby, there you are" Lincoln cried out with delight, "I was worried I wouldn't get to see you." Now, Lincoln wasn't really expecting the teen to greet him with an overzealous hello or anything. But after barely getting anything other than a soft "what's up" from him, he knew something was definitely wrong.

Without hesitation, he made his way over towards Bobby and took a seat at the right of him. For a moment or two, he chose to sit silently and gaze out at the city below them. "This is such a cool view" Lincoln said with a sigh, "not as breathtaking as the one at the tower...but still, very nice."

As Bobby took a quick look at the horizon, he let out a soft sigh and murmured "yeah...it's cool I guess." That was it, that was the final push Lincoln needed to get to the bottom of things. "Bobby, please...talk to me" he pleaded, "I came here to show my friends the cool sights and to hang out with you."

Soon after saying all this, the young Latino teen began chuckling sarcastically to himself. "Funny...I thought I'd be the _last_ person you'd want to hang with" he murmured coldly, "after everything I put you through." Lincoln could only stare blankly in shock at him, for almost a minute; all while wondering just what he was talking about.

"What are you saying, dude" he inquired gently, "what have you possibly done to me that would make you act like this?" It was here that Bobby mentioned all the times he tried to set Lincoln up with his sister, all the times he disturbed his family's peace with his countless texting/video chats with Lori and how he had a hand in jacking up the Loud Family's power bill. With each example, Lincoln sensed that they had one common theme.

That being said, he wanted to make absolutely certain that his hunch was correct. "Bobby, is it really yourself you're upset about or...is it something else" Lincoln asked, "or rather, _someone_ else?" Taken aback by this assumption, Bobby nervously asked what his young friend was going for.

But rather than answer him outright, Lincoln gave him a look with a raised eyebrow; one that seemed to say "dude...be straight with me." Finally, with a heavy sigh, Bobby decided to come clean. "It's me and Lori" he murmured, "since the trial ended, I've been at a crossroads...if that's the right thing to say."

Lincoln gave his friend a nod and asked him to explain further. "Well...I know things are square between you and your fam again, Lincoln" Bobby sighed, "but I've just been having second thoughts about me and Lori lately." He went on to say that after hearing all the things about her that was revealed at the trial, he began to question if the "loving angel" he dated for years ever really existed.

"Now, I wouldn't go quite _that _far" Lincoln said while holding up his hands defensively, "Lori may have her...issues but you still remember her good qualities, right?" Bobby gave a soft nod and began to list all the positives he still remembered about Lori; from her looks, her ability to take charge of a situation right down to her golfing abilities. "I just...I don't know if things can work well between us anymore" he sighed, "how can I be with a girl who'd let petty problems blind her from keeping her only bro safe?"

While there _was_ a sliver of truth in the teen's words, Lincoln was still determined to help snap Bobby out of his funk. "She truly regrets what happened, dude; she told me so herself" he insisted, "that's gotta count for _something,_ doesn't it?!" Rather than answer Lincoln's question, Bobby reached into his pocket and brought out his phone.

"If she truly _has_ changed like you said...then, why hasn't she called" he demanded softly, "my cellphone's been quiet for weeks...no messages, no e-mail and the only webcam calls I get are from my dad and _he's_ in Peru." After allowing the boy's words to sink in, Lincoln explained that his sister had simply been busy. "Along with Community Service, she and a handful of my sisters have been going to Anger Management _and_ Sensitivity Training classes as well" he stated, "she might've not had the chance to call anybody yet because of it."

This reveal caused Bobby to gasp softly with surprise, as if this was his first time learning about it. "Wait...how did you not know about it" Lincoln inquired, "I thought your family was watching the trial on TV." With a nod, Bobby assured him that his family did just that.

"Sadly, I couldn't watch a lot of it" he confessed, "I was busy working at the _Mercado_ and at one time, I got stuck in the dairy case...again." In spite of the embarrassing nature of this statement, it caused both boys to suddenly laugh heartily. For Lincoln, seeing his friend and surrogate older brother momentarily happy was a good sign.

"I guess you must've missed the verdict, then" he stated, "long story short...along with community service; for the entire summer, my parents have been sentenced to attend parenting classes while Lori, Luan, Lynn, Lola and Lisa were sentenced to the classes I mentioned earlier." Upon hearing this, Bobby (much to his surprise) found himself pitying the other Louds; thinking that working over the summer _and _the classes seemed worse than going to Summer School. "Since they can't pay off the damages to the town themselves, they have to work it off" he stated, "before I left home, my parents said they'd be cleaning litter at the beach all weekend with Leni, Luna, Lucy and Lana."

Bobby let out another hearty chuckle at this news; saying that while no one enjoyed picking up trash, at least they were down at the shore. This caused both boys to laugh loudly with joy and soon, Bobby felt as though he was getting back to his old self...at least, a little. "Thanks for the talk, dude" he said gratefully while giving him a quick "bro hug," "I feel a little better."

Once that was finished, Lincoln proceeded for the stairs. But right before he left, he turned towards Bobby and shared one last thing with him. "If you need to talk again, I'll be here for the next couple of days" he murmured, "think about what I said...okay?" After taking a moment to clear some tears from his eyes, Bobby smiled at the young Loud boy and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

With his work done for now, Lincoln hurried down the steps at a reasonable pace; eager to reconvene with his friends again. Meanwhile, Bobby remained at his spot on the roof; as if thinking about everything he had been told. Then; he once again, reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

After a while, he accessed the phonebook and brought up Lori's number. Above it was a picture of her doing a sort of sexy pout, a look Bobby always thought made her appear even lovelier than she already was. After that...all was quiet, save for the sounds of the passing train or the traffic below.

For what felt like ages, Bobby stood up on that roof; staring intently at the phone in his hand.

(Scene Change: Downtown)

As we come back to Lincoln; we find him walking down the downtown area of the city with a fraction of the Gal Pals crew, Ronnie Anne and Sid. During their walk, he informed everyone of everything he told Bobby up on the roof. "So...do you think he'll make the call" inquired Phoebe, "even if he does, will your sister answer it?"

Lincoln gave a light shrug of his shoulders while munching on a hotdog from Bruno's stand, proclaiming the situation was in Fate's hands now. "Well...whatever happens, I'm just happy Bobby's out of his funk...at least a little bit" Ronnie Anne sighed with relief, "thanks for the assist, Lincoln." After this, Ronnie Anne raised her fist up; as if ready to give Lincoln's shoulder a punch, like she usually would.

But then, much to everyone's surprise; she suddenly enveloped him from behind in a loving hug. After taking a moment to recover from this sudden display of affection, Lincoln returned the gesture by nuzzling her arms slightly. Then, all of a sudden; there came a soft cacophony of coos and sighs from somewhere nearby.

With a start; the group turned around to see the rest of their crew consisting of Carol, Carlotta, Dana, Cristina, Jordan and Kat. Upon seeing this group, Ronnie Anne and Lincoln quickly broke away from each other; proclaiming that nothing was going on. This was met with a sarcastic yet sultry laugh from the stylist inside of the establishment.

Lincoln turned towards the salon and spotted what looked like the owner, who was tending to Whitney's poofy hair. She was a tall Caucasian woman with curly black hair that was styled into a bun. She had pronounced eyelashes, red lipstick and three freckles on each of her cheeks.

She wore a purple headband with an orange flower in her hair, which Lincoln thought looked lovely. She also sported a bright yellow dress, a pink bandana scarf, a white bracelet on her right hand, white earrings and purple high heels. "Are you telling me the truth, _chulo_" the woman giggled, "because I've heard different stories from Ronnie Anne's _familia._

Ronnie Anne groaned softly while facepalming herself, speculating that either her grandfather or her aunt might've given the stylist the wrong idea about her and Lincoln's relationship. "Margarita, please" she groaned, "there is _nothing_ going on between us...he's just an old friend of mine." With that statement, Lincoln shyly approached the salon and introduced himself to the stylist.

"Oh, I know all about you already" Margarita giggled, "these young ladies have told me so much about you." Lincoln couldn't help but blush slightly, hoping that the stuff she heard was good. "Well...come on in" beckoned Margarita, "let me give you a nice touch up." With a broad smile crossing his lips, Lincoln happily agreed with the idea and proceeded towards the salon.

"This could take a while, everybody" he stated towards the viewer, "why not come back in half an hour and meet with us again?" The screen moves up and down slightly, symbolizing the viewer nodding in agreement. "Great, see ya later" he murmured, "here's hoping our stay in the city goes well."

With that, Lincoln rushed into the salon; eager for some conversation and some pampering.

(End of Part One)

(First AN: Aaand I think _this _is a good to stop things; Linc and the Gang have so much planned during their trip, I can't contain it in just _one _oneshot story. So, I'm deciding to divide this into two parts. Hope you'll all enjoy this one and make sure to keep watch for Part Two, in the future.)

(Second AN: Since I'm midway through the Summer Arc of oneshots for this anthology series. I think it's safe to say that we can consider this particular story as something similar to...one of those half-hour specials from the original show. What makes this worthy to be a special, you may be asking?

Well, I think Bobby's emotional crisis involving Lori seems like a worthy reason for it. What do you think, will Bobby find it in him to try and make up with Lori? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Final AN: In the next part, I hope to focus on Lincoln and the Gals bonding with people in the city. The question is...what other ways can I do that? I've already got Phoebe and Frida Casagrande connecting well with each other.

Carol, Whitney and Dana will certainly have much to do with Carlotta and the Gals in Lincoln's age group *specifically Jordan, Cristina, Haiku and Stella* will have loads of fun at the zoo with Sid and her mom. But what else could I have planned for them? Perhaps...I could bring in Ronnie Anne's city crew of friends *Casey, Sameer and Nikki* join in the fun or have the Gals take a trip in the subway with Sid's dad.

What do you think I should do, everybody; if you have ideas, kindly share them in your reviews for this oneshot. All that I ask is that they are age appropriate, don't contain anything controversial and that they don't involve "Lincoln Torture Porn" *as most fans call it.* Thank you for your time and happy reading)


	4. Great Lakes Getaway - Part Two

Great Lakes Getaway with the Gal Pals (Part Two)

(Story Summary: Continuing from the end of part one; after a visit to the salon, the gang continues their trip around the city. However, a nagging thought keeps eating away at Lincoln's mind during their tour; did Bobby heed his advice and if so...did it work?)

It was now almost noon and the gang had just finished getting their hair done. As Carol and her posse began paying Margarita for her services, Lincoln took a moment to admire his new hairdo. Much like after his first spa visit, his hair has been slicked back into a wavy pompadour; making him look like a sort of white-haired Elvis.

Needless to say; when she had finished, Margarita felt proud of herself. This new hairdo also garnered quite a bit of attention, both from the stylist _and _all the ladies present. "_Ay, Papi_" Carlotta cried with delight while fanning herself, "Lincoln...this new look suits you."

The Gal Pals, Carlota and even Ronnie Anne couldn't help but agree (the third example suddenly feeling her face heating up slightly.) "Uh...y-yeah" murmured the young Latina in awe, "this new look really...it really works for you." The whole time they all talked, Lincoln was bashfully trying to let the compliments sink in.

"You guys think I look good" he murmured inquisitively, "maybe I should send a pic of it to the family and my pals back home...get their opinions." With that in mind, Lincoln prepared to snap a picture with his phone and e-mail it. But that was when Ronnie Anne interjected in saying "no need, dude; took one of ya before you got off the chair."

She then asked him to look up the picture on his phone on Social Media. When he did, Lincoln saw a series of comments from his friends and family back home.

Clyde: "Lookin' suave, buddy; does that stylist take house calls, by chance?"

Rusty: "Nice 'do, dude!"

Zach: "Very nice, Lincoln; it's as good as your other picture."

Liam: "She-oot, pardner; you look slicker as axel grease!"

Lincoln chortled softly at his friends' comments, particularly Clyde's; before giving each of them a "like." Next; he noticed some comments that were left by his parents, grandfather and even some of his sisters. He was particularly surprised by the third list of comments; not because they were rude, mind you but because of how unexpectedly they came up.

Lynn Sr.: Lookin' good there, sport!

Rita: Oh, honey; your new haircut looks wonderful!

Pop-Pop: Nice hairdo, kiddo; you look as snazzy as I did when I was _your _age.

Leni: OM GOSH, LINKY! When you come home, I've got just the outfit that matches your new look!

Luna: Rockin' 'do, Bro.

Lisa: Normally, I do not pay any attention to the looks of others. But...I daresay, Brother; you're looking quite dashing.

Finally; he noticed that Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos also shared some of their own comments on his new look.

Higgins: Sugar, you look so debonair with your new haircut!

Simmons: Honey, you gonna get _all_ the girls attention; come the next school year.

Campos: That Margarita's still got it; make sure to tell her I said "hi," _chamaco._

Upon reading Officer Campos' comment, Lincoln blinked confusedly and passed along her greeting to Margarita. Then, the aforementioned stylist suddenly became even giddier than she was before. "_Chulo, _you never told me you knew Gabriella Campos" she squealed with delight, "she and I go waaaay back."

Feeling curious, Lincoln faced Margarita and asked how she knew her. "We've been friends since we were about your age" she stated, "we even ended up going to the same college here in Great Lakes City together, way back when." Upon hearing this, Sid couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Sounds almost like how you and I ended up becoming friends, Ronnie Anne" she whispered, "guess destiny really _does _have a way with bringing people together...just like your grandma often says." The moment these words passed her friend's lips, Ronnie Anne couldn't help but tense up inwardly. _"That's true, buddy" _she thought to herself, _"but sometimes...Destiny and Fate can really screw people over."_

This thought was, of course directed at the situation currently going on between Bobby and Lori. There was once a time where her _Abuela _told her "I can already see wedding bells in their future, rest assured." Now, after the whole business involving Lincoln and the trial; everyone wondered if that future was still in the cards for Bobby...including Ronnie Anne herself.

Suddenly, she heard the sounds of clicking in her ears; which quickly snapped her out of her train of thought. Afterwards; the young Latina saw Carol standing next to her, snapping her fingers in front of her face. "There we go" Carol sighed with relief, "you kinda spaced out on us there, Ronnie Anne."

After taking a moment to clear her head, Ronnie Anne saw that everyone was already up off their barber chairs and ready to leave; each one sporting either new haircuts or hairstyles. The only exception to the rule seemed to be Whitney, whose hair appeared seemingly untouched.

Apparently, despite however skilled she was; Margarita couldn't seem to cut or comb through Whitney's thick poof very well. In the end, all the stylist could do was soften it up with some hair products (though only a little bit.) "Sorry about that, Ma'am" Whitney murmured shamefully, "I can't even manage this hair on my own!"

As if sensing her distress, Margarita patted Whitney on her shoulder and smiled warmly. "Don't worry your pretty head over it, _chula_" she said reassuringly, "I've dealt with plenty of patrons who had the same problem." While these words didn't help Whitney feel any less embarrassed, she still found them comforting.

"Perhaps I could...how you say, lighten your load a little" Margarita suggested, "a little snip here and a trim there?" While it seemed like a bit of a long-shot; Whitney decided that if combing didn't work, _trimming_ her poof might be the better option. "In that case...you may as well hang outside, gang" she said while addressing her friends, "this might take a while."

With that said; Whitney took a seat back down on the barber chair, as Margarita prepared to go to work once more.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the gang had left Margarita's Salon; half of which feeling quite satisfied with their haircuts. "That woman certainly is a wiz; just like you said, Ronnie Anne" sighed Whitney blissfully, "my head feels a couple of pounds lighter now." Lincoln and the others couldn't help but agree with her friend, even though the visit didn't change her hairstyle too much.

Carol herself was particularly surprised by how Margarita was able to cut through Whitney's thick locks. But as she recalled earlier, that woman was no stranger to such circumstances. Regardless, everyone felt quite spiffy with their new/improved looks.

"So, Ronnie Anne; where should we head off to now" questioned Stella, "know any other cool places in the city?" There was much discussion between the group members, once the inquiry was made. Some wished to visit the zoo where Sid's mother worked, others wanted to see where Ronnie Anne's new school and a small number simply wished to enjoy the sights.

"Hang tight, Gals...and lil' dude" Carol interjected, "we've got all weekend to hang here, which gives us enough time to check out everything...if we're lucky." The crew murmured softly in agreement and went back to thinking up the next idea of where to go. That was when gals like Phoebe, Jordan, Cristina, Stella and even Haiku mildly insisted on visiting the zoo next.

"I'm sorry if I seem pushy about it, gang" Phoebe murmured dejectedly, "but...ever since we first heard about Mrs. Chang's job; I've been...like, totes excited to see those awesome animals!" After taking in their shutterbug friend's words, everyone admitted that they too were eager to see the zoo. Unfortunately, after looking up the city's map on her phone; Dana saw that it was clear across town.

"We can't possibly get there on foot" grumbled Carlota, "these boots of mine were _not _made for walkin' for that long!" With that statement, an idea came to Sid like a blow to the head. "Guys, I know the best and quickest way to get to the zoo...the Subway" she exclaimed, "_and_ it's a great way for me to introduce you to my dad!"

The group's collective faces suddenly brightened at the idea and it would also give them the opportunity to explore the city's underground...to a degree. "The subway sounds like a good plan, Sid" Carol said proudly, "all those in favor...shout 'GAL PALS!'" Without hesitation, the others began chanting their group name; while Lincoln added the words "and little dude" at the end.

Meanwhile, Sid looked at the scene before her in mild confusion; wondering what all the chanting was about. "Who or...what are the 'Gal Pals," guys" she asked, "is that some sort of club name for you or...something else?" Carol and her posse of three each giggled lightly at her, completely understanding her confusion.

"In a way...it's kinda a mix of both, Sid" Dana stated, "it's a group name we came up with, after how close we all became over the course of Spring Break." Jordan also added that the group was formed out of the one thing they all had in common, their history with Lincoln. "She's right" Cristina interjected, "in many ways, great or small, all of us have shared some sort of life experience with him."

After this, some of them began to discuss how the boy came into their lives. Cici and Phoebe were particularly giggly over _their_ story, when their turn came. "According to him, Linc changed his shirt three times during his orientation trip to the Middle School" Phoebe chuckled, "lil' man was sweatin' like he just got out of the gym."

While Carlota felt that particular element of the story was...a little gross, she still couldn't help but find it all amusing. "So, you guys really _weren't_ gonna hurt him" questioned Sid, "because from your story...it sounded like you were seriously cheesed off with him and his BFF." The two Middle Schoolers chuckled softly and assured their guide all was well.

"We knew him and his pal, Clyde were newbies to the school" Cici assured, "so...we wanted to make them sweat a little for fun." She then added that the same thing was done to _her _when she went on her orientation trip, long ago. "I won't go into too much detail" murmured Cici, "but I'll just say that I didn't sweat half as much as Linc did, during _my_ Middle School Orientation."

After that, some of the older gals shared _their_ first experiences with Lincoln. "Dana and I first met him at his house, when Lori was holding a 'sophisticated' house party" Becky stated, "long story short, her ideas of 'sophisticated' nearly had us all bored out of our minds!" Dana grumbled softly with a nod, recalling the line dancing Lori tried to talk them all into.

"Thankfully, her sibs tried to help liven things up" Becky stated, "Linc especially." Feeling curious, Ronnie Anne and Carlotta asked just what Lincoln did to earn their attention. "Well, he did some very cool party tricks for us" Dana stated, "one of which involved him getting his underwear off...without using his hands."

Upon hearing this reveal, Ronnie Anne suddenly burst out into a light fit of laughter. She remembered the aforementioned trick all too well; in truth, it was the same one he used to earn the friendships of his other guy friends (Rusty, Liam and Zach.) "I can't believe you won them over with something like that, dude" she said between giggles, "where did you learn it anyway?"

With a sheepish grin on his face, Lincoln revealed that it was something his dad taught him. "He first showed me it when I was 8" he explained, "it's an excellent trick to learn if you're in a hurry with getting dressed." After this, he considered showing the trick...until he realized that they were out in public.

That was when Becky showed them a short video she took from the party (albeit discretely.) Surprisingly, Ronnie Anne found it both odd yet strangely cool to see Lincoln effortlessly shake his undies down his pant leg. "That's certainly impressive, Linc" she said with a light chuckle, "I can see why Becky thinks you're cool."

After that, the teen revealed something she and Lincoln shared in common; their love of Ace Savvy. "Dude...you still read those books" questioned Ronnie Anne dumbfounded, "I thought you'd grown out of them by now." Feeling mildly offended, Becky revealed that she had remained a fan of the comic series since she was seven.

"Not only is Ace a cool hero, when you've actually given his stories a look" she explained, "but Linc here has made quite a name for himself sharing his own ideas with Bill Buck, the comic's creator." It was here that the crew revealed that they saw pictures of Lincoln receiving a check for Checkmate, a series of Ace Savvy stories he made.

"What the what" cried Carlota while looking at the picture, "that check's gotta be worth like...thousands of dollars!" As a rebuttal; Becky revealed that while the series _did_ prove successful, Mr. Buck received half of the profits (being the series' original creator and all.) But regardless; Lincoln still received a handsome share of five-grand for the Checkmate series.

"Seriously...that's more than what our...semi-rival store, Hi 'n' Buy makes in a month" exclaimed Ronnie Anne, "I can't believe you got so much money from a goofy comic." While his friend's words might've seemed hurtful, Lincoln took them with a grain of salt; believing it was simply her keeping up her "cool" persona. Then, in that moment; a rather mischievous formed in his mind.

"It's cool if you're not a superhero fan, Ronnie Anne; I totally respect that" he murmured, "but then...I guess that means I should probably take you out of the comic." With that small statement, the young Latina's curiosity suddenly got the better of her and she wished to learn the meaning behind Lincoln's words. "No, no...I really shouldn't" Lincoln murmured slyly, "you said the whole thing was silly, so..."

That did it, that final remark was enough to push Ronnie Anne's curiosities over the edge. But much to her surprise, she noticed that Sid and Carlota were just as eager to learn the "secret." "_PLEEEEEASE,_ TELL US" the young half-Asian teen begged, "why is Ronnie Anne in your book and are any of _us_ in it too?!" After hearing the word "please" echo in his ears for what felt like ages, Lincoln let out a soft grunt while smiling and decided to give in.

"To answer your question...sorry, Sid; you're not in the book" he said dejectedly, "but only because my story was made long before we met." Sid nodded in acceptance, fully understanding the circumstances and eagerly awaited the bio of Ronnie Anne's character. "In the Checkmate series, she's known as...Madame Roulette" Lincoln said dramatically, "her primary weapon is a specially designed shield that resembles a roulette wheel."

From here, he began to go into detail about certain "secrets" that the young heroine's weapon/defensive tool contained. "Aside from it being a throwing weapon; when she has it on her arm and spins it, Madame Roulette can blind or hypnotize her opponents with a series of flashing lights" Lincoln explained, "it's like your eyes are being assaulted by disco lights!" To give everyone a proper visual aid, he reached into his backpack and brought out a notebook; which contained a drawing of Ronnie Anne's character.

She was wearing a black mask over her face that featured a pair of red heart designs over her eyes, her suit was red but her gloves and shoes were both black and on the center of her chest was a roulette wheel emblem. At the same time, the drawing showed a series of colors blasting off of her shield (presumably in a blinding attack.)

Soon, the Great Lakes gals began studying the image in silence; leaving Lincoln to nervously wonder if they hated it. Then, after a while; he could hear them murmuring softly with approval. "Hmm...Not bad" Carlota said with a smile, "the clothes are rather stylish and I love how Ronnie Anne's rockin' that shield."

After that, Sid began to gush over the character as well; before utterly begging Lincoln to include her in the next story. Finally, Ronnie Anne smiled at her pal and gave him a swift yet playfully slap to the arm. "Nice work here, dude" she stated, "just make sure that my character is done proper justice...ya here?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lincoln gave her the "Scout's Honor" salute; symbolizing that he would not betray her trust. "I'm even thinking up some cool ideas for the rest of your family" he said with delight, "I've already got one for Bob..." Before he could finish his sentence, Lincoln suddenly felt a light chill of despair wash over him.

This behavior didn't go unnoticed by the Gal Pals, who all proceeded to ask what was wrong. Upon realizing his sudden shift in mood, Lincoln quickly snapped out of his daze and smiled. "What...no, nothing's wrong" he murmured, "I was just...we should probably get going before we miss our ride!"

With that said, he made a quick beeline for the nearest subway stairs; leaving the girls behind to wonder "what the heck is he hiding?"

(Line Break)

Sometime later, everyone was seated inside of the subway train; taking in their surroundings. "I never realized it was so cramped in these things" Cristina muttered softly, "do you guys take the train all the time?" Carlota responded with a shake of the head, while Sid and Ronnie Anne proclaimed it was their favorite way to travel in the city.

"It may feel crowded, at times...but it's actually fun here" said Ronnie Anne, "you'd be surprised by the amount of interesting people that travel the rails." As if on cue, the group heard a soft yet agitated voice cry out in complaint from close by. With a start, Carol turned around and quickly spotted the source of the cries.

Standing just a stone's throw away from herself and the crew was a woman with curly black hair, rather droopy-looking cheeks and a big nose. She wore a white visor around the top of her head, black sunglasses, red lipstick, golden earrings, a light orange sweater with a slightly darker orange sweater over it, a long red skirt and brown shoes. The woman appeared to be standing at the side of the car while holding onto a support hold above her head, much like other passengers near her.

Carlota, Ronnie Anne and Sid grumbled softly in annoyance at the sight of her; while their friends simply looked on in confusion. "Who's she" murmured Phoebe, "reminds me of one of my neighbors." Before anyone could answer her, the train suddenly shook a little due to a slight amount of turbulence.

This caused the woman to suddenly lose her grip on the hold and lose balance. With a cry of distress, she came close to falling onto the floor...until she suddenly felt someone grab hold of her arm and pull her back up. After taking a moment to adjust her sunglasses, the woman saw who it was that "saved" her; a young boy with a soft bucktoothed smile wearing an orange shirt and blue pants.

Much to his surprise; instead of being thanked for helping her, the woman suddenly began swatting her purse at him. "Y'all best back up" she cried, "ain't no way I'm gonna let you get a pass on _me, _old man!" Upon hearing the comment, Ronnie Anne quickly hurried over and stopped the woman from attacking her friend any further.

"Lay off him, Maybelle" she said firmly, "he's no old man...he's a boy!" The woman (whom Ronnie Anne called Maybelle,) once again adjusted her sunglasses to get a clearer view of who was in front of her. In moments, Lincoln's silhouette began to show clearly beneath their black lenses.

"Oh, well...I suppose that changes things a little" she murmured, "but how do I know he wasn't tryin' to snatch somethin' off of me like some kind of pickpocket." Upon hearing this accusation, Carol and her posse took a defensive stance around Lincoln and glared bitterly at the woman. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Lincoln like that" growled Carol, "he would never steal from the elderly!"

The moment Lincoln's name was announced, everyone in the train car suddenly started murmuring in excited whispers. "Lincoln...as in Lincoln Loud" questioned Maybelle, "that lil' boy from Ronnie Anne's old stompin' grounds that the news wouldn't stop yappin' about?" With a nervous smile upon his face, the aforementioned boy nodded slightly and greeted the woman with a light bow.

After this, Maybelle's demeanor seemed to soften a little and she quickly apologized for her earlier outburst. "I'm sorry too for surprising you like that" Lincoln stated, "I just wanted to stop you from possibly having a bad fall." Maybelle smiled appreciatively at him and thanked Lincoln for coming to her aid.

"Just to let you know, boy; I could've saved myself on my own" she said firmly, "but...it's still nice to know that there's some decency left in this world." After that, Maybelle and Lincoln shook hands; signaling that there was no bad blood between them. Upon seeing this, the Gal Pals and Ronnie Anne each let out deep sighs of relief before taking their seats.

Once they were all comfortable again, everyone took the time to introduce themselves. "Linc, this here is Maybelle" Ronnie Anne stated, "she's another one of the building's residents, as well as one of the _Mercado's_ most loyal...and often toughest customers." Upon hearing this, the woman grumbled softly at the young preteen; proclaiming that there was "no crime" in wanting everything to be in order.

Not long after that, a door opened from the head of the car they were in and a man dressed in a subway driver's uniform poked his head in. "Hey there, everybody" he greeted kindly, "heard a bit of shouting in here...is everything alright?" Without hesitation, Sid quickly assured the man they were all fine.

"Maybelle almost fell over after that bump, a moment ago" she explained, "but Lincoln here managed to save her before it happened." Upon hearing this, the aforementioned Loud boy blushed slightly and let out a bashful chuckle. "Ah, it was no biggie" he muttered, "I just did what anyone else would in this situation."

The driver chuckled softly and extended a heartfelt thank you to Lincoln for his actions. "This is my dad, Stanley; Stan to his buddies" Sid said with a giggle, "he runs the train here...which he calls the GLART." The moment Lincoln and the Gal Pals heard the word "GLART," they tilted their collective heads in confusion and asked what it meant.

"Oh...sorry, you all must be new to the subway" Mr. Chang cried out in realization, "see, GLART is an acronym I came up with that stands for Great Lakes Area Rapid Transit." With this statement, everyone now had a clear understanding of the odd term; while also thinking of how much of a mouthful saying each word at once must've been. "Anywho...Thanks for giving us a lift, Sir" Jordan called out, "you're right about some of us being first-timers."

Mr. Chang smiled at her and promised that the remainder of the ride will be going much smoother. "So you ladies are heading off to the zoo, eh" he inquired, "you should look in on my wife while you're all there." Carol smiled warmly at the conductor and assured him that they planned on doing just that.

(Line Break)

Sometime after their subway ride ended, the gang arrived at the stairwell that was stationed near the zoo. Upon their arrival, the Gal Pals gasped in awe at the sights around them. There were exotic birds, white tigers, tortoises, crocodiles and Lincoln even spotted some rabbits and bunnies at the petting zoo area.

As he watched the lil' critters hop playfully around their pen, Lincoln found himself staring down at one of them. _"Hmm...I can't explain why" _he thought to himself, _"but something about this bunny feels...familiar."_ Upon observing the rabbit more closely, he noticed that its one bucktooth bore a slight chip and he had a tuft of fur on his head that seemed to resemble his cowlick.

(Note: Lincoln still possesses his new hairdo from Margarita's salon. The bunny's description is meant to reference Lincoln's typical look.)

Then, as Lincoln looks back at the older groups of bunnies and rabbits; he spots one from both groups starting to flirt with one another (in their own way.) Not long after, the female bunny immediately presented the bucktoothed one to a female bunny with dark-brown fur. Upon seeing the male in front of her, the brown-furred bunny suddenly gave it a swift slap across the face with her ears.

This behavior startled the chipped-toothed rabbit and he wanted nothing more than to retreat from the scene immediately. But then, he found himself surrounded by several more female bunnies. When Lincoln saw the exact number of females present, his eyes nearly bulged from his skull.

_"Okay, this is _really_ starting to look familiar" _he thought, _"these bunnies remind me a whole lot of me and my sisters._" With this thought in mind, Lincoln's attention went back to the bunny and rabbit that were acting lovey-dovey with each other. It was then that he realized who _they _reminded him of; Lori and Bobby.

Upon making this comparison, Lincoln suddenly felt a mild chill of uncertainty run through him. He kept wondering if Bobby ever chose to take his advice and speak with Lori. More importantly; if Bobby _did _speak with her, how did their conversation play out?

While their hours of flirting and baby talk often drove him nuts, Lincoln hated the idea of them being unhappy. Just then, he felt a soft tapping against his shoulder; which caused him to snap out of his thoughts with a mild yelp.

Thinking quickly, Lincoln did a quick spin-around and took a defensive stance; expecting some kind of ambush. But what he saw instead was the smiling face of an older woman standing over him. She was a lovely woman with short blond hair, golden hoop earrings, blue jeans and wore a vest over her green shirt.

In an instant; Lincoln recognized this woman to be Sid's mother, Becca Chang and he immediately relaxed himself. "Saw you spacing out for a minute there, Linc" the woman said with a soft smile, "hope everything's okay." Lincoln chuckled softly at the woman and assured her he was doing fine.

"I was just having a bit of a...deja vu feeling with these bunnies here" he murmured bashfully, "they reminded me of a time where I came across a group of bunnies in the woods." Her curiosities piqued, Mrs. Chang asked Lincoln to divulge more information on his encounter. "Well...long story short, this one male rabbit was the middle member of a family of twenty-five 'sister' bunnies" he explained, "and the whole thing reminded me of _my _sisters."

Mrs. Chang was taken aback by Lincoln's tale, to say the least; mostly because of the amount of "sister" bunnies he saw in the group. "Mind you, Ma'am; I only have _ten_ sisters" the young Loud boy clarified, "but be it 10 or twenty-five...either way, things tend to feel crazy." With this statement, Mrs. Chang's expression faded from a look of shock to one of concern.

When she met Lincoln but a few moments ago; she was quite surprised by some of the bits of backstory he shared about himself, particularly his rather large family. "I suppose it goes without saying that due to having _that _many siblings, you must feel outnumbered at times" Mrs. Chang stated, "am I right?" With a soft yet disgruntled sigh, Lincoln gave the zoologist a sort of "on the nose" gesture.

"The biggest headache I've dealt with so far has to be my sisters meddling in whatever 'relationships' I hope to try to gain" he groaned, "especially when it involved girls." From here, Lincoln gestured at the eldest of the female bunnies trying to force her "brother" into mingling with the brown female bunny. "This particular situation represents how my sister, Lori relentlessly tried to pair me up with Ronnie Anne" he said with an eye-roll, "she thought we 'belonged together' just because she and Bobby were already a pair."

By this point in his story, Lincoln was on the verge of a mild stress relapse from the memories of how often Lori tried to force him into a relationship. But after performing some deep breathing taught to him by both Haiku and Dr. Lopez, he was calm again. "After a while; I got fed up and thought about telling Lori 'instead of messing with whatever 'love life' _I _have, worry about your own'" he cried, "now...I'm worried that she might not have one anymore."

Soon after he said this, Lincoln plonked himself down on a nearby bench and hunched himself into a depressed slump. In the meantime, Mrs. Chang simply looked at him with a bewildered expression; feeling unsure of what to say or do next. Then, an idea came into her head and she began to move her head around her; searching for something...or someone.

After about ten seconds, she finally found the person she needed. Just two or three feet away from where she stood, Carol and her posse were attempting to take a group selfie over by the panda habitat. Not too far away from _them _was Cici, who was playing a game of Chess against the gorilla known as Silver.

While this was going on, Phoebe was recording every moment on her camera phone. "C'mon Cici, you've got this" she cheered loudly, "show that monkey who the real Chess master is!" Upon hearing this, Silver briefly turned his attention away from the game to send the young photographer a message via sign language.

Now, Lincoln was no expert in understanding sign language; so, he asked Mrs. Chang what Silver was saying. "Oh...nothing much" she said with a light giggle, "he's just trying to tell your friend he's an _ape_, not a monkey." Lincoln shared a stifled giggle at the reveal and continued to watch the game.

After a while, the two just seemed to be moving their pawns here and there. But that was when Lincoln noticed something...familiar about this strategy. When he noticed Cici moving her Queen diagonally to the F3 spot on the board, Lincoln finally realized what was going to happen.

"Cici, don't move that way" he called out, "if you do, there's a chance that Silver..." Alas, it was too late for his friend to change her tactics. With a proud smile upon his lips, Silver the Gorilla moved his pawn to the G5 position and hooted loudly while pounding his chest in victory.

The whole time this was happening, Cici just stared wide-eyed at the display; feeling utterly confused. "What the...What the heck is going on" she asked, "did I win or lose?" Again, the silverback smiled at her and began giving the young teen a series of hand signs. Much like before, nearly everyone felt confused by it all and wondered what he was doing.

"He's trying to spell out something to you, Cici" Sid interjected, "I think it's...C-H-E-C-K-M..." Before she could finish, it soon became clear what Silver was trying to say. At which time, Cici's face scrunched up into a defeated expression and she turned towards Sid and whispered "are there any hand signs for 'I want a rematch?!'"

Needless to say, this moment was one for the record books (or in Phoebe's case, the Cloud.) After saying farewell to Silver, the Gal Pals reconvened over by Lincoln and began to share their experiences with him. "This place is so cool" Cristina gushed with delight, "you hardly find this kind of thing back in town."

The others happily agreed with their young friend, speaking about all the things they saw within the zoo. But while they talked, Mrs. Chang leaned over and whispered something into Carol's ear. Despite being unable to hear said whispers; when he saw his friend/guardian's expressions shifting between joyful to shocked, Lincoln could tell it wasn't good.

Then, Carol casually approached him and asked if he was feeling okay. "Yeah...I'm fine" Lincoln said hesitantly, "I just...have some stuff on my mind is all." Just as he was about to continue on with his statement; Carol pressed her index finger lightly against his lips, stopping him in his tracks.

"No need to explain, Linky" she said while kneeling down to his level, "Mrs. Chang told me everything you said...and I have a good idea of what's going on." After this, Carol gave Lincoln the biggest hug she could muster; making sure not to hurt or alarm him. "I'm sorry if I'm stressing over nothing" Lincoln murmured softly, "I just...I just want Bobby and Lori to be happy again."

Carol gave her young friend a sweet smile and assured him that in time, things _would _be normal between them again. "It's sweet of you to say that, it really is" Lincoln said with a half-smile, "but when I talked with him earlier, he looked like death warmed over...twice." Carol suddenly found herself smiling a little, thinking that such a statement would've been something Haiku would say.

But she chose to keep the thought to herself and continued to listen to Lincoln's words. "You know what he said to me, when I found him up on the roof" he inquired, "he told me 'I thought I'd be the last person you'd want to hang with' and he blames himself for the stuff I endured from Lori." Naturally, this statement caused Carol to let out a soft gasp of alarm.

Not long after, the other gals overheard her and quickly rushed to her side; asking if she was alright. When Carol explained the current situation Lincoln was facing, every eye fell upon him. Then, Carlota knelt down and gave Lincoln a light kiss upon the forehead.

"Linc, it's really sweet for you to be worried about my _primo_" she said with a smile, "but this whole thing is _his_ business to deal with...don't let it spoil your fun." Not long after, the other Gal Pals echoed the same reply; encouraging Lincoln to keep his chin up. "You're right, everybody; sorry again for stressing so much" he said with a smile, "on the plus side, Bobby _was _a bit surprised when I told him where Lori's been all this time."

Upon hearing this, Carlota and Ronnie Anne tilted their heads in confusion before asking where the "plus side" was in his statement. "Well...he told me that he missed out on the sentencing part of the trial" Lincoln replied, "said something about being locked in the dairy case." The moment this bit of info was revealed, the two Latina gals groaned softly in annoyance.

"This happens every time he goes to restock the milk or soda cans" Carlota grumbled, "can't he remember to leave the door just a little open behind him first...or at least, put the doorstop down beforehand?" After taking a moment to cool down; Lincoln continued on to explain that due to Bobby's situation at the time, he missed the part regarding Lori having to do community work and taking classes both in anger management and sensitivity training.

"When Bobby said she hadn't responded to his calls or messages, I told him that might've been the case" he stated, "the classes tend to go on into overtime for...(ahem) obvious reasons." With this statement, Ronnie Anne lightly waved her hand at Lincoln in a "stop" gesture; emphasizing that she understood the situation. "The point is...I'm just wondering if Bobby will follow up on my advice and call Lori" Lincoln stated, "I also wonder what she'll say...if she answers?"

After hearing all this; the Gals murmured soft words of comfort to Lincoln and held him close in a group hug. Even Ronnie Anne, much to her surprise, found herself joining in. Once everyone pulled away, Mrs. Chang encouraged Lincoln to keep his chin up and pray for Bobby.

"I don't know how or _when _it will happen" she stated, "but things _will_ get better, I promise you." Lincoln sniffled softly while wiping a tear from his eye, smiled up at the zoologist and thanked her for her kind words. With that settled, everyone continued their exploration of the zoo.

(Line Break)

Some time passed and the gang left the zoo behind them, happily reveling in the experience. It was almost 3 o'clock and they were making their way back to the apartment building. During the journey; the Gals, Ronnie Anne, Carlotta and Sid were sharing photo op moments amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was hanging back a few steps away from the group; rubbing his hands lightly upon his forehead. _"Okay...God, Fate or...whoever else is running things up there" _he thought to himself, _"I don't know if you can hear me but...please; give my friend, Bobby your strength."_ As his mind repeated the prayer; on the outside, Lincoln appeared to be muttering the word "please" softly under his breath.

As he and the Gal Pals continued their walk, a man was seen exiting a nearby pizza parlor. He was a short but round old man with thick eyebrows, light gray hair and a thin mustache that spread across his top lip. He wore a light-brown suit, a cream colored shirt, light-gray trousers, brown shoes and was sporting a pair of red suspenders.

As he was making his way home, the man caught sight of the girls heading his way down the sidewalk. Though he never associated too much with them; he recognized two of the girls as Hector Casagrande's granddaughters, Carlota and Ronnie Anne. But the other members of the group were relatively new to him.

Then, when he spotted Lincoln's slicked back hairdo; the man became alarmed and he suddenly plowed through the group of girls like a football player. Sore but showing no signs of injury from the collision, the Gal Pals picked each other up from the dirt and glared at the old man. "Dude! What is your _deal_, old man" Kat roared with annoyance, "why did you just ram through us like..."

Before she could finish her tirade, Kat watched in horror as the old man suddenly tackled Lincoln to the ground and started wrestling with him violently. "Jimmy the Rat, I thought I told you never to bother me anymore" he growled, "I already paid you back months ago!" Confused, Lincoln did everything he could to try and call the man off of him.

But alas; due to the size disadvantage he had against him, the young Loud boy could only fruitlessly struggle to pull himself loose from his grip. However, this tussle did not last for very long. In the blink of an eye, Ronnie Anne and Carlota quickly pulled the man off of Lincoln; whereby the Gal Pals helped their young friend off the ground.

"Vito Filliponio, what is your damage" Carlota growled in a reprimanding tone, "what gives you the right to attack people like this, especially my friends?!" As he stood there listening to the Casagrande teen yelling at him, the man called "Vito Filliponio" glanced slightly over at Lincoln and gave him a small yet angry glare.

"So...you're tellin' me you're friends with Jimmy now" Vito grumbled, "wait till I tell your Gramps about this, you makin' friends with a loan shark!" This outburst created quite a cacophony of offended outbursts within the group, especially from Lincoln. "Look, buddy; first of all, there's nobody named Jimmy here" growled Carol, "second of all...we outta report you to the police for attacking a minor!"

The moment he heard this reveal, Vito glanced back over at Lincoln and got a better look at him. When he saw how young the boy was and mentally compared his image with that of this "Jimmy the Rat" person, Vito began to sweat nervously. "Oh...Oh, wow" he mumbled, "I am so sorry about this, I...mistook you for someone else."

As he started dusting off Lincoln's clothes, Vito spotted his chipped tooth and let out an alarmed yelp. "Oh, boy; I'm sorry if I hurt you...I really am" he whimpered fearfully, "just _please_, don't rat me out to the Po-Po; one more citation and I'll be on garbage cleanup until New Year's Eve!" At first, Lincoln was about to question the man on why he was acting so odd.

But then, he quickly realized that he was getting worried over his chipped buck tooth. "This isn't your fault, Sir" Lincoln said reassuringly, "I've had this chip for many years." Upon saying this, Sid let out a soft yet pained hiss and asked how it happened.

"It's hard to say, to be honest" Lincoln muttered, "but it happened when I was two and...I think I was during my 'Teething Phase.'" With that, everyone had a pretty clear idea of what might've happened. Lincoln, in his desperate attempt to ease his aching mouth, might have been chewing on something hard.

This may have resulted in him earning his trademark chip. But in spite of this explanation, Vito still felt rather guilty of his actions and apologized to the boy. "Gang, this is Vito" Ronnie Anne stated, "he's one of my _abuelo's_ friends and another one of the Bodega's most frequent costumers."

While still feeling flustered towards the man's earlier actions against Lincoln, the Gals still did the respectable thing and greeted him accordingly. "Hey...wait a minute, I think I know you ladies" Vito muttered, "I saw you all on the TV, weeks ago...same with that kid." The group groaned inwardly in annoyance, wishing that some people would cease referring to them as "those kids on the TV."

"Yeah, it's us" mumbled Lincoln, "although...we're doing all we can to put _that _whole experience behind us." Vito nodded silently in understanding before making a zipping gesture over his lips. "Quick question, Vito" inquired Carlota, "how could you confuse a preteen boy for some kind of loan shark?"

Without a moment's pause, the man simply gestured at Lincoln's hair; proclaiming that the color and the style reminded him of Jimmy. "First time I've ever seen a kid sport a do like that" he stated, "it suits ya." At first, Lincoln didn't know how to respond to such a comment.

But after a while, he decided to go with the best option and simply say "thank you." With that settled, the gang continued on their journey home and Vito did the same. "Sorry about that whole thing, Linc" Ronnie Anne whispered in his ear, "Vito sometimes acts like one of those paranoid retirees from the mafia."

Intrigued by this statement, Lincoln asked if he ever _was_ part of such a group. "Can't really tell you, him and my _abuelo_ have been friends since before I was even born" Carlota replied, "but with the way he's always gossiping around town...I guess he's worried about getting busted by somebody." With that said, the rest of the journey back to the building went smoothly.

(Scene Change: The Casagrande Apartment Complex, After Dark)

After a very satisfying dinner courtesy of Mrs. Casagrande, sometime later; everyone exited the apartment and went off to each of the rooms they would be bunking in. The last to leave was Lincoln, who was about to head into the hallway bathroom to wash up. "Have a good night sleep, Lincoln" Carol said with a yawn, "we'll see you for breakfast in the morning...'kay?"

After responding with a nod; Lincoln hugged his guardian tight, kissed her cheek lovingly and wished her goodnight. "Hey! What are we, chopped liver" Becky grumbled, "the three of _us_ are your guardians too, Lincoln...don't _we_ deserve some of that sugar?" After sharing a light chuckle at his friend's statement; Lincoln walked over and shared a hug and/or a kiss with the rest of Carol's crew as well

"See you in the morning, Linky" Dana said sweetly, "and remember what Mrs. Chang said...the best thing you can do for Bobby is to pray for him." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, bade everyone one last "goodnight" and made his way towards the hallway bathroom. But as he reached for the doorknob, his ears twitched at the light sounds of tapping and beeping.

Lincoln turned his head and noticed that the sounds were coming from one of the other bedroom doors. With great care, he tiptoed over towards the door and noticed that it was opened slightly and peeked in through the crack. It was then that he spotted Bobby sitting on the bed, which meant that this was _his _room.

_"It looks like he's texting somebody" _he thought to himself, _"could he be trying to contact Lori...or is he just posting on his Social Media page?"_ His curiosity growing ever higher, Lincoln attempted to stick his head further into the room for a better look. But then, the door suddenly slid fully open; which resulted in him falling flat onto his face.

With a painful groan, Lincoln began to rub his sore nose in hopes of easing the pain. But he quickly stopped, when he saw the pajama-clad form of Bobby standing over him. With a startled yelp, Lincoln tried to think of a way to explain why he was there...only for him to be silenced by Bobby's raised hand.

"I know why you're here, lil' dude" he muttered, "Nini texted me earlier and told me." With this reveal; Lincoln suddenly felt an odd combination of worry, embarrassment, fear and curiosity swirling around in his gut. "There's no need to be nervous, Lincoln" Bobby said with a friendly smile, "I'm actually glad you're here...can we talk before you hit the hay?"

At first, Lincoln was mildly confused by his friend's request. But when he saw the pleading look in Bobby's eyes, he decided to play along and entered the room. Once the door was closed, Lincoln got a good look at Bobby's phone and saw the all too familiar sight of Lori's pout selfie on the screen.

Upon seeing this, Lincoln couldn't help but smile; thinking that perhaps, Bobby _did _take his advice after all. Finally; Bobby locked the door, took a seat on his bed, looked down at his phone and sighed deeply. "I thought about what you said earlier, dude" he murmured, "after a while, I gave Lori another call...but she wasn't answering."

From there; Bobby went on to explain that after their chat on the roof, he got the confidence he needed to try talking to Lori again. "I called up her cell earlier but I only got her voicemail" he said with a frown, "I figured she might've been workin' with the family or in one of those classes you mentioned."

Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, feeling inwardly happy that he'd managed to get through to Bobby. "So, if Lori isn't home right now...why were you typing earlier" he asked, "were you sending a text in case she missed any calls you made?" Bobby nodded with a bright smile, stating that he hoped that he hoped Lori would answer to at least _one _of the messages.

"So, what now" Lincoln inquired, "are you two going to get back together and be like you were before...or are you planning to break things off?" Bobby's smile waned slightly and he began to tap his chin in thought. Finally, he revealed that he _did _plan on getting back together with Lori again...just not yet.

"She broke my trust _and_ my faith in her, when I learned of the bad stuff going on between you two" he explained, "so, I want to see if Lori can make the right steps to earn my love and affection again." With that said; he told Lincoln that by agreeing to the terms of the trial sentence, Lori was taking a step in the right direction. "She'll be happy to hear that" Lincoln said with relief, "thanks for not giving up on her."

After that; the two boys shared a quick fist-bump, said good night to each other and retired to their respective sleeping spaces for a well-earned rest.

(Line Break)

After a good night's sleep, Lincoln and the Gal Pals' stay in Great Lakes City went relatively smoothly. On the following morning, Ronnie Anne took them back downtown; where she introduced the gang to her new school. Lincoln couldn't help but gasp in awe, saying that it looked a lot bigger than Royal Woods Elementary.

Before leaving, the group caught a glimpse of an old poster that read "Join the Lucha Libre Robotics Club Today." Curious, Lincoln asked what the club was and who was in charge. "Oh, that; it's just something me and Sid came up with" Ronnie Anne stated, "we had trouble finding a club where we could both hang together and have fun at the same time."

"I was so nervous about not finding one" Sid muttered fearfully, "if we couldn't be in a club together, it would mean losing two hours of hang-time a day...which equals approximately 10 hours a week and 40 hours a month of not...hanging...out!" The moment this thought came into her head, Sid was on the verge of a mild panic attack. Thinking quickly, Ronnie Anne handed her bestie a paper bag; where she began breathing into it frantically.

As Lincoln watched the scene before him, he couldn't help but remember a similar fear Clyde had a long time ago. It was then that he felt the two of them would be a good match; if not romantically, then platonically. "I'm guessing all the other clubs didn't meet your standards" Jordan asked, "so...how did you come up with this robotics club?"

In response, Sid explained that the club embodied their two favorite things; her love for building robots from scratch and Ronnie Anne's love of masked wrestling. "Are students allowed to fight these bots" inquired Kat, "if so, I've wanted to test out some kickboxing moves I've been practicing last Fall." This statement caused the group to laugh heartily, believing that their friend would be one tough cookie for any bot to beat.

"So, wait...you two just came up with your own club" Lincoln asked, "I thought all the after school clubs were stuff the school board thought up." Before anyone could make a reply, an older voice suddenly spoke up; catching their attention. _"That's true for cases like Glee or Chess Club"_ the voice said, _"but anyone is allowed to come up with a new one...as long as it's school appropriate."_

Upon hearing the voice, Ronnie Anne smiled and turned to find a familiar sight; a trio of city kids. One was a young black-skinned lad with a red hoodie over a pink t-shirt, gray shorts, white high tops with blue laces and a black and white checkered hat turned backwards. The second was a rather small kid with a rugged head of brown hair, a round nose, a sleeveless yellow stripped shirt, dark blue shorts and red clogs.

The third of the trio was a tall yet lanky girl; she wore a sky-blue hoodie, blue Capri jeans and pink low tops shoes. She had blonde hair that seemed to cover one side of her face, held a black skateboard beside her and as she stood waving at Ronnie Anne, the Gal Pals could see that her smile was missing a tooth. Curious, Jordan asked Ronnie Anne if she knew the kids somehow.

"Of course I do" the young Latina said with glee, "they're some of the first pals I made here in the city." With that said, she led everyone over to the trio and began with the introductions. "The dude sporting the checkered hat is Casey, the lil' man is Sameer and that's Nikki" Ronnie Anne stated, "you guys already know Lincoln...but these here are his...what do you call yourselves again, Gal Pals."

The group giggled softly and waved hello to the trio of city kids. "Ronnie's told us a lot about you guys" Casey stated, "said you're all pretty tight." Nikki nodded in agreement and added how "lucky" Lincoln was to have the attention of so many girls. "Oh...it's nothing like that, you guys" he murmured shyly, "we're all just...close friends."

This response caused the trio to laugh heartily before informing Lincoln that they were "just ribbing him." "We heading on over to the park" Casey informed, "you guys are all welcome to hang, if you like." Without a moment's pause, Lincoln and the Gal Pals all responded to the offer with a highly enthusiastic "YEAH!"

(Line Break)

Upon arriving at the park, everyone decided to partake in a small game of Dodgeball. At first, it looked like Ronnie Anne's team (consisting of herself, Sid, Nikki, Cici and Jordan) was close to beating Lincoln's team (which consisted of himself, Stella, Casey, Sameer and Kat.) But then, the tables turned; when Stella commanded everyone to assume a "scorpion formation."

When the moment was right; Stella, acting as the team's "tail," launched the ball towards Ronnie Anne. Not only did the sudden attack managed to hit her in the face. But once it did, the ball then bounced against every other member of the team.

Afterwards, the ball then rolled slowly across the floor over towards Lincoln's team; whereby Stella stopped it beneath her foot. "That's how we do it back in the Woods" she said proudly, "y'all put up quite a fight...but in the end, we win." As Team Lincoln began cheering with joy, Ronnie Anne pushed herself up and glared at Stella.

Upon seeing the look on her face, The Gal Pals suddenly stopped cheering and watched Ronnie Anne stomp angrily in Stella's direction. "Okay, missy" she growled softly with venom in her voice, "I've got just one question for you." Now, very little seems to frighten Stella; she may appear dainty but she is much tougher than you think.

But when she saw the anger in Ronnie Anne's eyes and remembered how tough she used to be with Lincoln, she couldn't help but quiver a little. Finally, she watched as Ronnie Anne reached into the back of her hoodie; presumably going for some kind of hidden weapon. But a split-second later, what Stella saw instead was her pulling out a notebook and pen.

Afterwards, Ronnie Anne said one simple phrase that took everyone off-guard; "how did you do that and teach it to me now." Everyone on both teams immediately let out deep and relieved sighs before falling over to the ground, after that. "Phew! That's a relief" murmured Stella, "for a second, I thought you were gonna hurt me."

Upon hearing this; Ronnie Anne chuckled loudly at the statement and assured everyone that she had changed quite a bit, since moving to the city. "I've even stopped harassing Lincoln like how I used to" she informed, "just...don't tell anyone back in Royal Woods about that yet, I've got a rep to maintain." Everyone chuckled lightly at the statement, fully understanding Ronnie Anne's wishes and performed a light lip-zipping gesture over their mouths.

"These guys are loads of fun, Santiago" Nikki said with great pride, "especially the lil' dude." Carol giggled softly before echoing the same compliment back to Ronnie Anne's group. Then, in that moment, an idea began to form in the teenager's mind. "In fact; since you guys made our stay here go so well thus far, I'd like to reward y'all" she stated, "come over here and kneel...you know how to do that, right?"

While this request _did_ confuse the group a little, they openly obeyed it and did as Carol requested. Then, she reached into her purse and brought out one of her most fancy-looking combs. "Um, Carol" murmured Lincoln confusedly, "what do you plan to do with that?"

Before continuing, Carol took a moment to look over her shoulder and smile at Lincoln; telling to simply "watch and learn." After that, she turned her gaze back at the group before her and asked them to make a sort of "pledge." "As our friends, do you swear to uphold our friendship from this day forth" she asked, "to answer our calls for help, assist us whenever we may be in need...or to simply hang with us however possible?"

At first, these questions seemed rather odd; leaving everyone to wonder where Carol was going with all this. But regardless, everyone did the respectable thing and answered with a simple "to this we swear." "Then...as Lincoln's eldest legal guardian and 'leader' of the 'Gal Pals'" she began, "I hereby appoint the five of you...as the newest members of the crew."

After this, Carol tapped her brush against everyone's shoulders and tapped each of them lightly upon the head; thus "initiating" them into the Gal Pals group. After this, Carol asked for each of their cellphones; whereby she proceeded to share her number with them and vice-versa.

"As members of the crew, we should remain in touch with one another; in case anything happens" Carol explained, "I'm planning on doing this with a few others before our weekend stay is over." As you might expect, Ronnie Anne was at a complete loss for words over this. The whole thing caused a whirlwind of emotions to swirl within her, from confusion to humble.

Finally, the young Latina came to her senses enough to offer up a smile at Carol. "Thanks, this is really nice of you" she murmured, "does this mean we have to get the rest of your numbers as well?" This statement caused everyone to lightly giggle at her until Lincoln assured her that they'd have plenty of time for that later.

"I just have one question" Sameer interjected, "if the group is called 'Gal Pals,' then...does that apply to me, Casey and Lincoln?" It took a moment for the meaning behind the statement to click. But when it did, Lincoln chuckled and informed the boys that his friend, Clyde once asked the same thing. "In the end, Carol decided to call us 'Honorary Gal Pals'" he stated, "which I've decided to call 'Guy Squad...' does that make sense?"

Casey smiled lightly at Lincoln, upon being asked this and answered his inquiry with a hearty high-five. Afterwards, Dana looked at the time on her phone and saw that it was nearly lunchtime. "Okay, folks; time to take a breather" Ronnie Anne announced, "there's a picnic area we can sit at near the basketball court."

With that said, everyone made their way over to the tables; eager to fill up their bellies before having some more fun.

(Scene Change: the apartment building - Bobby's Room)

Back at the building, Bobby was sitting in his room; staring helplessly at his cellphone. He had sent Lori four text messages almost an hour ago and he'd yet to hear her call back since then. Now, some onlookers would see this as a sign of Bobby regressing back to his old lovesick puppy self.

But in reality, the reason for his desperation was much more desperate than you think. Not only did he wish to touch base with Lori after several days...or weeks, rather of not talking with her. But he had something he needed to say to her right away, something incredibly important.

Finally, he heard the familiar tune of "Ooh, Girl" by Boyz Will Be Boyz playing on his phone; which he immediately recognized as Lori's personal ringtone. With a startled yelp, Bobby suddenly stumbled off his bed and landed on the floor painfully. A few seconds later, he found himself frantically juggling the phone in his hands; desperate to try and get a grip on it.

When he finally managed to get a hold of the phone (and himself,) Bobby took a few breaths and answered the call. "Uh...hey, ba...I mean, Lori" he murmured, "it's been a while hasn't it?" There was a light giggle on the other line before Lori's voice responded with a simple _"yeah, it has."_

Against his better judgment; Bobby suddenly felt his heart swell with joy, the moment he heard Lori's voice. After not speaking with her for so long; to him, his (shall we say) on-the-fence lover's voice sounded like a choir of angels. _"I just got back from helping my family with beach cleanup" _Lori informed, _"you can't imagine all the trash people leave behind after they've left the shore."_

After that, she went on to mention how she came across Bobby's earlier messages but was unable to respond. "Don't worry, Linc told me all about it" he assured her, "of course...it was my first time hearing about your Community Service sentence and the classes you were ordered to take." On the cellphone's screen, Lori gave her "former" boyfriend a confused stare.

Upon seeing said expression; Bobby, while trying desperately to cover a light blush on his cheeks, told Lori he missed it all due to being trapped in the dairy case again. Lori couldn't help but giggle a little, happy to see that her boo was still himself; in spite of things. "So, Lincoln and his friends got to the city safely" she inquired, "I'm hoping they're all having fun there."

Bobby smiled at Lori fondly and assured her that everyone was fine. "Linc's crew really hit it off well with the fam" he stated, "the other tenants in the building seem to love 'em too." After that, Bobby could hear Lori sighing slightly on the other line.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if it was a sigh of relief or anguish. With this in mind, he asked her if she was okay. "Of course, Bobby" Lori said with a smile, "I'm just a little exhausted is all, gotta get my rest before my Anger Management class at 1:00 PM."

Bobby nodded in understanding and was prepared to end the call at that. But then, he remembered the original reason why he wanted to call Lori and asked for a moment of her time. _"Of course, Bobby"_ she said with some concern, _"what do you want to talk about?"_

For a moment or two, Bobby found himself desperately struggling; unsure of what to say or _how_ he should say it. Then, after taking a couple of deep breaths; he finally got the nerve he needed to talk again. "Listen, the reason I called is...I wanted to talk...about _us_" Bobby said bluntly, "this whole business with your family's drama and Lincoln getting caught in the crossfire really left my head spinning...especially after I learned about the stuff you said and did to him in the past."

The moment she heard all this, Lori let out a loud gasp and fell hard upon the sofa in her living room; almost landing on Lily. After taking a moment to steel her nerves, she found the strength to speak again and said _"I understand...I'd want to break up with me too, after learning all that."_ It was in that moment that Lori came dangerously close to ending the conversation then and there...until Bobby quickly stopped her.

"No, babe; I don't want to break up" he said reassuringly, "I just...I'm not ready for us to be like how we were before...not yet, at least." Feeling both worried yet curious, Lori asked Bobby what he was trying to say. "Thing is...I still care about you, babe" he said with a soft grin, "but...if you want me to love you like I did before, you're gonna have to _earn it._"

From here; Bobby swore that if Lori kept going to her classes, adhere to every lesson and try to better herself from them...he would happily take her back. "I _know_ you can do this, babe" he said warmly, "if you're strong enough to handle watching over ten siblings...these lessons could become a cakewalk for you." After taking a moment to let Bobby's words sink in; Lori, for the first time in a long time, began to shed small tears.

These were not tears of distress or anguish, mind you but ones of utter joy. "Thank you...Thank you so much for saying that, Bobby" she said in a heartfelt tone, "it means so much to know that you still care and believe in me." After this, Lori was just about ready to end their conversation there.

But then, Bobby quickly stopped her and offered the eldest Loud Sister a sort of proposition. "How does this sound" he began, "after every class, you and I chat for...a half hour or forty minutes and you can tell me how things went?" At first, Lori felt that thirty-to-forty minutes was too short of time compared to their previous text/phone/video chat sessions.

But then, she suspected that there was more to the idea and urged him to continue. "If I hear that you're doing well in class, I'll consider giving us another shot" he suggested, "but if there are signs of trouble...well, you get the idea." Lori took a moment to consider the idea and then, she offered Bobby the smallest yet sweetest of smiles.

"Okay, Bobby; I promise I'll give it my all from here on out" she assured, "so...until next time?" Without missing a beat, the young Santiago teen nodded slightly and echoed the words "until next time" in reply." After that, the line went dead and all was silent within the room again.

With a soft yet pleased sigh, Bobby fell back onto his pillow and could feel the cool wave of relief rush through him; happy to finally be able to move forward again with Lori. But unbeknownst to him; just outside his door, his mother and relatives were seen silently listening in on the whole conversation.

At the same time; Frida, Rosa and even Bobby's mother, Maria did everything in their power not to cry too loudly with joy. But regardless, they were all no less happily with this wonderful turn of events.

(Line Break)

On the third day of the three-day weekend stay in Great Lakes, Lincoln and the Gals agreed to just take it easy at the building and hang out with everyone there. They laughed, goofed around and Lincoln even caught Ronnie Anne up on some things that were going on back in Royal Woods. Needless to say, the whole trip turned out to be a rather successful one.

But alas, the time soon came where everyone had to bid each other farewell. After Rosa fed them an early supper, everyone in the building helped the gang load their things into their van. "Thank you so much for helping us pack, letting us stay with you and...darn near everything else; everyone" Carol said gratefully, "it'll be sad to say goodbye to this awesome city."

Upon sensing her mild despair, Whitney patted Carol's back tenderly; assuring her that this wasn't goodbye forever, just "so long until next time." "You got that right" Ronnie Anne interjected with a chuckle, "us 'Gal Pals' have gotta stick together." The moment this was said, Sid and Carlota gasped loudly; proclaiming they had something to show everyone before the gang left.

"It's a little something we came up with, just to say thanks for making us part of your posse" Sid stated, "hope you like it." With that, Carlota began frantically tapping her thumbs upon her phone; which made everyone feel quite curious. Not long after that, Lincoln and the Gals suddenly heard their phones go off; alerting them of an incoming message.

When each of them brought it up, they saw what looked like a sort of poem on their screens. "Sid came up with the words and _I _thought about making it into a chant/cheer" Carlota stated, "got the idea from the time I served in Cheer Squad last year at school." As the gang began reading over the words of the "chant/cheer," all of the building's tenants asked what the whole thing was all about.

"Long story short, we officially made these young ladies outer city members of our crew" Becky stated, "and for being such gracious hosts...we think it's only fair for _you _to be part of it as well." At first, the residents of the apartment complex (particularly, the females) didn't know how to respond to the whole thing. But after Ronnie Anne explained everything to them, it all became clear as day.

"I've already sent the text out to Margarita and Nikki" Carlota informed, "now, whenever you come to see us; _this_ how we'll welcome you." After that, the Gal Pals and Lincoln burst with laughter; proclaiming the idea to be weirdly awesome. "Well, I speak for us all when I say..._gracias __niño__ y __niñas_" Rosa murmured happily while wiping away a tear from her eye, "if you ever need help with anything, do not hesitate to call _any _of us."

Everyone else, especially the building's female residents, all happily seconded Mrs. Casagrande's notion and expressed equal thanks for placing such trust in them as well. "If any of you are ever in the city again, pop by the zoo during your stay" Mrs. Chang stated, "an associate of mine informed me he's doing what he can to help rescue a family of polar bears up in the north." Upon hearing these words, Cristina and Jordan's faces contorted into a pair of "anime-style" happy faces and they started "squeeing" shrilly with joy.

"I think you just said the secret word, Mrs. Chang" Lincoln whispered, "these two just _love_ polar bears." After everyone had a good laugh about the reveal, everyone resumed saying their goodbyes. The most surprising of these goodbyes was Ronnie Anne's, who openly held Lincoln in a brief but lovingly friendly embrace.

"Smell you later, lame-o" she said with a smile, "and thanks for helping Bobby out...I think he's getting back to his usual goofy self again." This news filled Lincoln with a great deal of pride, to say the least. After returning Ronnie Anne's hug, he asked her to let him know on her brother's progress; to which she happily agreed.

With that done, everyone climbed into the van and began their drive back to Royal Woods. As the apartment residents watched the vehicle go off into the distance, Sid smiled coyly and began playing a parade tune on her phone. Call it coincidence or, as Rosa would claim, some kind of spell...but as soon as the music played and the van drove down the road, every friend the group made in the city (male and female) began to chant Carlota's chant/cheer.

"_We're Gal Pals and, yes, we shall conquer the world one day! _

_We're no sweet bunnies, we're smart and funny and we demand equal pay! _

_We'll shout 'Gal Pals'__ right into your ear canal and bang it on a drum! _

_We're sweet and nice, but take our advice cross us and you'll be chum!"_

Then, all of a sudden; a shocking/annoying surprise occurred in the van. Just as the Gals ended the chant with a hearty cheer, Whitney's poofy hair suddenly expanded back into its original state. The moment it happened, the aforementioned teen patted her hands atop the poof and cried out in annoyance "AH, DANG IT!"

(Scene Change: Bobby's Bedroom – minutes away from bedtime)

Sometime after the gang's departure, Bobby was finishing up on brushing his teeth and was just about to head off to sleep. When he suddenly heard Lori's ringtone going off on his phone in the bedroom. Without a moment's pause, he hurried inside and saw that it was an oncoming message from Lori.

Bobby lightly tapped his thumb upon the message icon and then, a small white screen appeared; which showed off the words "just got back from AM, wanna talk?" After taking a few seconds to think it over, Bobby smiled and pressed the timer on his phone. Soon after, an electronic timer appeared on the top right corner of the phone; which showed the number forty flashing slightly.

Once the time was set, Bobby reclined himself into his bed and casually asked "so...how was class today?"

(First AN: Thus, the gang's trip to the city ends and on a positive note at that. Bobby and Lori are taking the first big steps into regaining each other's love. Only time will tell if they will become the same lovestruck pair they once were.)

(Second AN: I pray you will all not mind the whole "Mrs. Chang trapped between the zoo cage bars" scene. At the behest of one crafordbrian17, I felt obligated to include it in the oneshot. But rest assured, this will be the only time this sort of moment will be used.)

(Third AN: The scene where Lincoln sees the white rabbit with 25 bunny sisters is a light reference to the Loud House episode White Hare. Said episode, for those unaware, was the original idea the creators had in mind for the series; before deciding on human characters.)

(Final AN: Carlotta and Sid's chant for the Gal Pals crew originally comes from the Spongebob episode, Cabin in the Kelp; which also happens to contain another sort of Gal Pals crew. When I first heard it, I thought it'd be perfect for our heroes.)


	5. Malling with the Gal Pals

"Malling" with the Gal Pals

(Story Synopsis: As the midway point of summer approaches, the time has come for every kid's least favorite "activity;" back to school shopping. For Lincoln, this leaves him feeling disgruntled for two reasons; that Summer Break is almost over...and that he'll need new clothes for school. This means he will need to look for clothes inside Reininger's; the same store where his sister, Leni works in.

Along with her, Lincoln will also come face-to-face with Fiona; a co-worker of Leni's who...isn't on the best of terms with him. Will his shopping trip go off without a hitch or will he end up on her bad side...again?"

Back to school shopping, a time of the season every kid across the nation never looks forward to. Some dislike it because they dread the sort of "cute" outfits their parents will pick out for them. Others hate it because it signals the coming end of summer and some...just don't really enjoy shopping.

In the case of one Lincoln Loud, he was especially dreading going to the mall for said shopping. Unfortunately; no one, not even Lincoln's parents, knew the exact reason behind this fear. One day, Carol came to Clyde and asked if _he_ knew anything about this. "To be honest...does Lincoln really _need_ to get new clothes for school" Clyde asked nervously, "I mean, he seldom changes his outfit."

While his words _did _hold some truth in them, it hurt the poor lad immensely to lie (both physically and psychologically.) But despite any discomfort he was feeling, Clyde did his best to remain strong. Alas; through his body language alone, Carol could immediately tell that he was hiding something.

"I'm warning you, lil' man" she said with a mildly threatening tone, "either you tell me the truth...or I'll have to break out my secret weapon!" Now, Clyde knew that Carol wasn't as vicious or intimidating as Lori tended to be. But something about her tone of voice and choice of words filled him with a mild sense of dread.

Regardless; he stood firm and once more, refused to give her an inch. "Okay, Clyde" Carol murmured while smiling slyly, "but just remember, I _did _warn you." With that said; she brought out her purse, unfasten the strap and began fishing about inside of it for several seconds. Finally, she chuckled naughtily upon finding what she needed; her cellphone.

Clyde's face swiftly went pale, thinking that Carol would try and make a call to his dads and tell them of his failure to cooperate. _"Hold on...that sounds like something _Lola _would do" _he thought to himself_ "Carol wouldn't go _that far_...would she?"_ The whole time he was lost in thought, Carol was busy fiddling around with her phone; as if looking for something.

Upon taking a nervous peek at her, Clyde saw that she wasn't skimming through her list of phone numbers. Instead, it looked as though she was looking through her MP3 library; which made him feel slightly less tense. But then, he remembered what she said earlier to him; something about a "secret weapon."

"What do you plan to do, Carol; play a ten-hour loop of Boyz Will B Boyz" he asked boldly, "because I've done that before already, especially with SMOOCH." The young teen stopped browsing for a moment to give Clyde a light pat atop his head, telling him she had something else in mind. "See...I'm about to use a little trick I learned from Haiku during Spring Break" she sniggered, "I hope you're ready for it."

With her warning now out of the way, Carol resumed skimming through her MP3 list. Finally, she found what she was looking for and pressed play; all while telling Clyde to "prepare himself." Afterwards, the poor lad suddenly tucked himself into a ball; prepping for the worst.

Then, seconds later; Clyde's ears echoed with a soft and melodious piano tune. Confused, he slowly eased himself out of his protective position and was prepared to question Carol on her tactics. But as he slowly opened his eyes; instead of seeing Carol looking ready for a fight, she appeared rather sad.

Her eyes were wide with sorrow, her lip was in a sort of quivering pout and the only sounds she made seemed like the whimpers of a puppy longing for affection. It was in that moment that Clyde realized what was going on. Carol was using a combo move of "sad puppy eyes" and the "pouty lip," a classic emotional manipulation trick used by young girls and women alike.

At the same time, she was playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on her cellphone; a classic tune to play to tug at the heartstrings of others. At first, these tactics seemed too much for Clyde to resist; considering how much of a sensitive sweetheart the Gal Pals knew him to be. But surprisingly enough; after playing the music for almost a minute, Clyde remained strong.

_"I'm sorry about this, Clydey" _Carol thought with an outward sigh, _"but...I'm afraid you've forced my hand."_ With that said; she gave a whistle and Dana, Becky, Whitney and Phoebe came in the room in a flash. "You called, Carol" questioned Dana, "is there a problem here?"

Without a moment's pause, she brought the ladies into a huddle and they swiftly began to whisper amongst themselves. Clyde watched nervously, while they did so; only choosing to look at him for brief moment over their shoulders. When they all finally broke away, the five Gal Pals just stood over poor Clyde; staring down at him slightly.

"We'll give you one last chance, sweetie" Dana urged sweetly, "tell us what's up with Lincoln or prepare to face...the 'Puppy Dog Pout Barrage." Somehow, the young McBride boy could already guess what the barrage would entail. But in spite of this, he still held his ground and refused; proclaiming he could not betray the "Bro Code" like that.

In spite of them admiring their young bestie for his loyalty; in the end, the Gals knew they had to get him to talk. So; Carol pressed play on her phone, once more and the puppy dog pout face swiftly returned. This time however, the others quickly joined in while also adding a few whimpers and crocodile tears for an extra kick.

That did it, this combined use of the face and the tears were all Clyde could handle. With a loud and exasperated groan, he threw up his arms in defeat and fell to his knees; all while murmuring "sorry, Lincoln" under his breath. "Okay...so, the reason why Lincoln isn't so keen about going clothes shopping is...complicated" he stated, "not in an extreme case, mind you but still."

Feeling like they were getting somewhere, Carol urged Clyde to continue on; promising him that they wouldn't use the faces on him again, if he did. "Okay...now, do you guys promise you won't freak out or anything" he asked, "because I've got a feeling you'll say there's no real problem here, once I start talking." Before continuing, he directed his statement directly towards Carol and her crew; proclaiming the situation involved someone they might know.

"Clyde, dude...we've been through so much with you and Linc; this past year" Becky said matter-of-factly, "whatever's going on, we can take it." The others all said the same thing, even Phoebe; despite thinking the situation might not actually involve _her_ specifically. With all this in mind, Clyde let out a sigh and finally came clean.

"Carol...the store you plan on taking Lincoln to is Reininger's, correct" he inquired, "if so...do you remember who works there?" While doing her best to remain polite, Carol gave Clyde a light eye roll and said she could already guess why Lincoln's been so nervous. "He's worried about facing Leni, after everything that's happened...am I right" she asked, "but as I recall, she's been doing exceptionally well with her part of the family's Community Service."

The others echoed the same reply, while also adding how much of a big help Leni's been towards her family during their classes. "This is all true...but Leni isn't the only one who works there, though" Clyde interjected, "she has two coworkers...one of whom isn't really Linc or mine's biggest fan." Upon hearing this, Carol and her crew could already guess whom their young friend was referring to.

Her name was Fiona and she was one of their classmates, back at Royal Woods High; as was her fellow Reininger's co-worker and shopper, Miguel. But in that moment, Carol wondered what sort of history her pal had with Lincoln and why it all made _him _so distressed. "I've said too much already" Clyde said fearfully, "if you want more info, you gotta get it directly from _him!_"

In that moment, Carol knew he spoke the truth but she also knew Lincoln wouldn't be able to speak about his history with Fiona without possibly going into a fearful shock. So, she decided that whenever she _would_ discuss it with him; she'll have to do so as gingerly as possible.

(Line Break)

The following morning after lunch, Lincoln along with Carol and her crew were off on their way to the Royal Woods Mall. During the whole drive there, the poor lad's mind was racing with fearful thoughts. He also wondered how he found himself into the situation in the first place.

(Flashback: Loud House, hours earlier)

_When the time came for Lincoln to leave, he was struck by a sense of relief. Normally, in the past; it would be one of his elder sisters (like Lori or Leni) or his parents who would take him back to school shopping. But unfortunately, they had to leave early that morning with the rest of the family to begin litter clean up down at Ketchum Park. _

_ For a moment, Lincoln felt like he was in the clear...until his four guardian angels came in and "saved him at the last moment. "We can step in four you and help Linky out, Mr. and Mrs. Loud" Dana stated, "we were all heading down that way ourselves, ironically enough." Lincoln did his best to appear grateful, on the outside; despite the great deal of annoyance he was suppressing on the inside._

_ Meanwhile, his parents greatly appreciated the girls' generosity and accepted their offer; proclaiming that they truly "saved their bacon." With that settled; Mr. and Mrs. Loud, hugged/kissed Lincoln goodbye, wished everyone luck and prepared to leave with their daughters. "Behave yourself for the girls while you're shopping, honey" Rita shouted from outside, "and don't pick out any clothes that are obscene or too revealing."_

_ Lincoln gasped in embarrassment at the assumption and was poised to call his mother out for saying such things in front of his guardians. But then, seconds later; he caught sight of his family trying their darndest to suppress fits of laughter. It was then that Lincoln realized that his mother was only joking, which caused him to chuckle and shake his head in mild amusement._

_ After that, Vanzilla eased itself out of the driveway and went off down the road; leaving him and the girls at the house alone. For a while, all seemed eerily silent; which made Lincoln feel mildly tense. "So...uh, when do we leave" murmured Lincoln shyly, desperate to help break the ice; "you girls have any ideas on outfits you'll be wearing for the new school year?"_

_ Much to his surprise, they did not answer him; all they did was stare at him intently with firm looks in their eyes. This led poor Lincoln to think he was in some kind of trouble; due to his history of seeing similar looks in his sisters' eyes, in the past. Finally; Carol took a knee, rested her hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a firm yet somewhat gentle stare._

_ "Linky...you know me and the girls here love you, right" she asked tenderly, "and you know you can tell us anything, if something's wrong...right?" While somewhat confused by the odd questions, Lincoln nodded slightly and said that the love was more than mutual. "Good...so, tell us honestly" inquired Whitney, "what happened at Reininger's that makes you so scared to go back again?"_

_ At first, Lincoln was prepared to lie his way out of the situation; until Carol raised her hand up in a halting gesture. "Don't bother trying to tell us otherwise, pal" she said firmly, "Clyde already gave us _half_ the info already." Lincoln suddenly felt a grimace forming on his face, the moment he heard this reveal._

_ "And before you say it...Clyde says he's sorry for betraying your trust" Whitney stated, "but we had no choice but to force it out of him." With a curious head tilt, Lincoln looked up at his guardians and asked how they were able to get his BFF to confess. "Are you suuure you wanna know, sweetie" Dana asked slyly, "because you may not like the answer."_

_ With this simple statement, Lincoln started to think he might be in over his head. But then, he realized that whatever they had in store; it couldn't compare to what his sisters had him endure for years. "Go ahead, ladies; have at it" he said confidently, "I can take it!" After this, the ladies gave one another a look and smiled down at the boy slyly._

_ Then, Becky handed Carol her cellphone and she immediately pressed play on her music player. Seconds later, Lincoln could hear the familiar keys of a certain music score; one that seemed all too familiar to him. _"No...they wouldn't dare" _he thought to himself, _"they wouldn't use the same trick again, would they?!"

_As he stood there lost in his thoughts, Lincoln looked above him and saw the quartet of females giving him the "Puppy Dog Pout" look. In less than five seconds, he could already feel his heart aching at the sight of their sad faces. Yet, in spite of it all; he tried to remain strong. When the faces, music and whimpering didn't do much to break him; seconds later; the time came to break out the "big guns."_

_ "Pwease, Wincoln" Dana begged in a toddler-like voice, "tell us what's wong, we only wanna help." After that, Carol joined her bestie in giving her charge the ultimate "Cute Overload." "Tell us why you no wanna go, Wincoln" she murmured, "pleasy-squeezy-wheeze?"_

_ That did it...after hearing so much baby talk from the girls, Lincoln finally caved in. "UGH! ALRIGHT ALREADY" he shouted in defeat, "I'll tell you, just...please, don't talk like that anymore!" The ladies cheered in unified victory and thanked Lincoln for "answering their wishes" by squeezing him in a big group hug._

_ When they all let him go, ten seconds later; they waited patiently for their charge to give them the details. Meanwhile, Lincoln was starting to have second thoughts; believing what he would say next might upset his guardians. Finally, after letting out a sigh; he took a seat on the living room sofa and asked everyone how much they learned from Clyde._

_ "He just told us that this all seems to involve two workers at Reininger's" Becky replied, "these workers also happen to be friends and classmates of ours from school." Lincoln nodded slightly and said that it was those exact reasons that kept him from wanting to confess. "I got worried that if I told you what's happened, you'd get mad at Fiona" he muttered, "I don't want your friendship to end because of _ me!"

_ Upon hearing these words, the ladies suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu wash over them. These were the exact words Lincoln said back when they first met before certain...events took place. It was then that Carol started to think Lincoln was in real serious danger, which brought her to utterly beg him to confess._

_ "As your guardian...er, _one _of your guardians; it's my responsibility to protect you from any possible danger" she said firmly, "and I plan to uphold that duty, no matter the cost!" After that; nothing else was said for what felt like ages until at last, Lincoln decided to continue. "The thing is...the last time I crossed paths with Fiona, it was when me and Clyde were helping Leni" he explained, "scarves were turning up missing in the store and Mrs. Carmichael, Leni's boss, was threatening to fire her; if she didn't find them."_

_ The Gals nodded slightly in understanding while also commending Lincoln for wanting to help his sister in her time of need. "That still doesn't explain how this all involves Fiona" Whitney said bluntly, "did you do anything wrong towards her?" In an instant, Lincoln suddenly found himself quivering nervously; as if he were back in court again._

_ Almost instantly, Dana caught sight of this and immediately took action to calm him down. "Linky, relax" she said soothingly, "whatever you did, I'm sure it was an accident and you paid for your mistakes." With a weary sigh, the young white-haired Loud said that he did indeed pay for the mistakes he did; in more ways than one._

_ "To make a long story short; whenever our families or friends are in danger, me and Clyde often volunteer to help" he explained, "we do this by assuming the identities of Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack." To say that Carol, Dana and Whitney were speechless from the explanation would've been the understatement of the year. Becky on the other hand, saw it as them taking their love of Ace to the next level._

_ "I know it seems...childish" Lincoln admitted, "but Ace and the Gang are an inspiration for us and they've always helped us out in times of need." After this, Lincoln clenched his eyes shut; expecting the girls to either start laughing mockingly at him or scolding him. Instead, he was met with only silence; which left him confused._

_ When he took a wary look at them, Lincoln could see Carol looking at him with a stoic yet gentle gaze; one that seemed to say "keep going." "Okay...so, when we got ourselves dressed; Clyde and I set out to try and find whoever stole the scarves" Lincoln explained, "but there were a few...hiccups during our investigation." Without a second thought, he revealed that said hiccups included accusing Fiona of stealing the scarves _and _knocking over a pair of displays (one for bras and the other for sunglasses.)_

_ "In the end, we _were_ able to find the culprit and help get Leni her job back" Lincoln stated, "but at the same time, we also made an enemy of Fiona." After that, Lincoln slumped gloomily against the sofa cushions; as the waves of shame and guilt began washing over him. At the same time, the Gals hadn't said one word; which made Lincoln all the more worried._

_ Finally; Carol stood up from her kneeling position, collected her purse from the kitchen and beckoned everyone to follow her. "C'mon, Lincoln" she said simply, "time we get started on shopping before the crowds get crazy." For a moment or two, Lincoln stood frozen in place with a dumbstruck look on his face._

_ After snapping out of the daze, seconds later; he raced out the door and rushed to Carol's side. "Wait...that's it" he asked confusedly, "no scoldings, no reprimands...we're just gonna head off like I said nothing?" Upon hearing this, all four ladies turned towards him and gave him a simultaneous "raised eyebrow stare;" which was a big surprise after their "Puppy Dog Pout Barrage."_

_ "If we arrive too late to the mall, dude; you may get just that" Carol said warily, "now, climb aboard." In a matter of seconds; Lincoln scurried over to the other side of the van, opened the door and climbed inside. Once he was buckled in, Carol revved up the van and they went off on their way._

(Flash Forward to the Present: The Royal Woods Mall)

The moment the memory fully played out in his head, Lincoln was surprised to find that they had arrived at the mall parking lot. As Carol began looking for a space, the poor lad soon found himself twitching nervously; feeling like he was experiencing one of Clyde's "Lori episodes." But before he could sink deeper into his anxiety, he suddenly felt someone's arm wrap around his shoulders in a loving side-hug.

He turned to the side to find Dana smiling kindly down at him while patting him softly. "Sorry about earlier, Linky" she confessed, "it was just...a lot to take in, you know?" Lincoln smiled up at her and nodded in understanding.

"It's all true, though" he sighed, "the moment we get within so much as two feet of the store..._she _will see me and probably lose it!" The girls all nodded in understanding and each of the remaining three followed Dana's earlier gesture by patting Lincoln reassuringly atop his head. "Don't you worry about Fiona, pal" Carol said with a light smile, "we'll take care of her for you."

With that said, everyone unloaded out of the van and headed off for the Reininger's entrance. Meanwhile, on the inside; Fiona and Miguel were seen looking bored out of their minds. At the same time, Leni could be seen giddily tidying up the displays and restocking some of the shelves.

"UGH! We totes applaud your dedication, Leni" Fiona grumbled, "but business is dead today...there's no point in tidying up." Upon hearing the word "dead," Leni (in her usual absentmindedness) almost assumed her bestie was implying there were zombies in the store. "No, Leni" sighed Miguel, "she means that there are no customers coming today; so, we've got no real work to do."

The moment he said this, Leni scratched her chin in confusion and look towards the door. "Are you sure nobody's coming, guys" she asked, "'cause I see a group coming up from the parking lot right now." This reveal took both Fiona _and_ Miguel off-guard, causing them to almost fall over themselves.

Thankfully, Leni was quick enough to rush over and save them from getting hurt. Once they had all calmed down, Fiona turned towards the main door and prepared herself to welcome the group of potential customers. But when her gaze fell upon the white haired, bucktoothed preteen that was with the group; her demeanor suddenly soured.

_"Oh, no...not again" _she thought angrily, _"there is NO WAY I'm letting that _twerp _wreck things in here like last time!"_ With that in mind, Fiona was moments away from shutting Lincoln out of the store. But then, she noticed Carol and her posse with him; which made things awkward for her.

Then, the situation became even more so; when she noticed Leni and Miguel going off to greet them. Once the doors opened, the second eldest Loud Sister proceeded to hug each of the girls; all while saving an "extra special hug" for Lincoln. Before the aforementioned boy could speak up, he suddenly felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs by his sister's embrace.

"Linky, it's so good to see you" Leni gushed adorably, "welcome to Reininger's, everyone!" After this greeting, she released Lincoln from her hug and allowed him a moment to breathe. Once he got some air back in his lungs, he looked up at Leni and said it was a surprise to see her at work.

"I know I was supposed to help the family at the park today" she stated, "but Mrs. Carmichael said she needed an extra hand for the Back to School sale today and I had to come in." The four Gals nodded in understanding but couldn't help but notice a small flaw in Leni's logic. "Didn't the judge say you'd be on probation while you're working" questioned Becky, "in which case, who's keeping watch here?"

Lincoln and the remaining three Gals asked the same thing; while also adding that Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos would be looking after the family during park cleanup. _"You're assumptions are correct, Mr. Loud" _a voice said suddenly, _"which is why_ I _volunteered to stand in their place."_ Lincoln and Co. each gave a slight yelp in surprise and turned around to find one Officer Schoffner standing behind them.

"Oh...Hello, Ma'am" Lincoln chuckled timidly, "I...haven't seen you for some time." Schoffner gave him a light nod and said she'd been quite busy over the summer. "Among my other duties, I've also been helping keep watch over your kin" she said bluntly, "simply to make sure none of them cause more trouble than they already did."

The moment she said this, Fiona bitterly muttered under her breath how the rest of the Louds weren't the only "trouble makers" around. "Did you say something, Fiona" questioned Carol suddenly, "I didn't hear you." Thinking quickly, the young teen rushed over to a pile of jeans and proceeded to fold them; in an attempt to make herself look "innocent."

Unfortunately, this did not fool Carol in the slightest...but she chose to keep quiet about it, for now. "What can I help you all with, Ma'am" Officer Schoffner said suddenly, "I may not be a worker here but I should do my part while I'm here." The four teens shook their heads and assured her they were fine, as did Lincoln.

"Well...should anything go amiss, notify me or Ms. Carmichael immediately" said the officer, "as you were." With that, she turned towards Leni and said she would be taking a quick lunch break down at the food court. "I trust you can stay out of trouble, while I'm away" she inquired firmly, "if there _is _any trouble...well, you get the idea."

With that, she bade everyone farewell and went off on her way towards the food court area of the mall. But once she was out of sight; Fiona ceased folding the shirt pile, grabbed Lincoln roughly by his collar and proceeded to "escort" him out of the store. "Hey, Fiona; that's totes rude" exclaimed Leni, "you can't behave like that towards my little brother!"

Mere seconds later, Carol and her crew voiced similar complaints; while Miguel reminded her that the cameras were still on. With every side against her, Fiona saw no point in arguing and released Lincoln from her hold (albeit roughly.) "I thought I told you not to come around here again, twerp" she growled, "I can't afford having your antics screw up my work..._AGAIN!_"

To say that Leni was confused by her friend's outburst would be a gross understatement. "Whatever he did, I imagine it was an accident" she said defensively, "he would never make someone's life more difficult on purpose." With a rather sarcastic chuckle, Miguel chose to reopen old wounds and remind Leni that Lincoln was the one "responsible" for him and Fiona breaking their friendship for several months.

While a small part of Lincoln's mind believed him, he sensed that the teen didn't say what he did completely out of spite. Regardless of intent, the comment felt like a severe blow to Lincoln; who suddenly started hunching over in despair. Both Leni and the four Gal Pals gasped in horror at this, rushed over to the boy's side and did their best to calm him down.

"Don't give in to despair, lil' buddy" Becky urged pleadingly, "remember what Dr. Lopez told you...think of pleasant things." With this simple command, Lincoln closed his eyes and tried to think of positive thoughts; all while taking in cleansing breaths. While this was going on, Fiona and Miguel couldn't help but snicker softly at the display.

"Talk about Drama Queen" the young teen boy said bluntly, "what's got his undies in a bunch anyway?" No sooner had he said this, Fiona commented that it was simply the "little twerp acting like a baby." The moment she heard both comments, the usual sweet and friendly Leni Loud experienced something rare for her...blind, unrelenting fury!

"Now listen here, you two jerk-wads" she seethed venomously, "my little brother is not a twerp and he is _definitely_ a screw up!" The two Reininger's workers, Lincoln and the Gals were all taken aback by this behavior; to say the least. It wasn't often for Leni to show off an angry side to her.

"Lincoln may make some mistakes, every now and then" she stated, "but he is still the best little brother I ever had!" From here; she began to praise his loyalty, his dedication towards the people he loves, his often clever/imaginative mind, his love for his family and many other qualities. As expected, Lincoln was both shocked yet touched by his sister's argument.

Yet, however passionate Leni's words were; it did little to sway over her two friends/coworkers. "She's right" Carol said suddenly, "Lincoln is a great guy, in spite of any mistakes he's made...you just don't care to know that side to him." Without showing the least amount of emotion in his voice, Fiona asked why she'd want to get familiar with a "stupid kid."

"C'mon, Fiona" groaned Dana, "don't you think it's a bit much to get angry at a boy for accidentally knocking over some displays?" Dumbfounded, Fiona glared at the teens and said her beef with him went far beyond that. "If it's about him accidentally accusing you of stealing...we already know about that" Carol said bluntly, "besides, with so many scarves going missing; somebody walking out of the store with something blue in their bag _does_ seem suspicious...don't you think?"

Just as she was about to offer up a rebuttal, Fiona suddenly found herself at a loss for words. True, her being falsely accused of stealing _did _seem a bit offensive. But she didn't exactly help things by keeping the stuff she bought at their competitor's stores secret from everyone.

"Okay, you got me there, gang" she sighed reluctantly, "but what about the 'superheroing' him and his buddy were doing?" Miguel quickly shouted out in agreement and brought up every instant a kid stole some stuff from the mannequins just so they could play hero. "That _does _seem annoying" Becky admitted, "but Lincoln and Clyde were just trying to help in the only way they knew how; by becoming like Ace and One-Eyed Jack."

Leni sounded off in agreement, while also adding that such behavior was one of the reasons why she loved Lincoln so much. "He's also really good at baking" she added, "remember those snickerdoodles I had in my lunch the other day..._he_ baked them." Upon hearing the comment; Lincoln blushed slightly and proclaimed it was a team effort between himself and his BFF, Clyde.

"Wait..._this_ is the guy who made those sweet treats" Miguel exclaimed, "we always thought it was your dad." Leni shook her head slightly and assured her friend that the treats were done completely by the boys' own hands. "Well...I can't take all the credit" Lincoln said bashfully, "Dad taught me the basics, Clyde provided some pointers and I've learned the secret on how to keep them crunchy from watching Operation: Dessert Storm."

Upon making this reveal, Miguel's jaw fell open in surprise; which Carol couldn't help but find amusing. "Shut...Up! You watch O.D.S. too" he asked eagerly, "Next to Vest Friends Forever, that's my all-time favorite show!" Lincoln chuckled slightly, happy to meet a fellow fan and confessed it was one of _his_ favorites as well.

"It's one of the best things I watch during the week" he stated, "next to ARRGH and Dream Boat." The moment the latter program was mentioned, Fiona felt as though she'd been hit in the head with a bat. "Hold up" she cried, "_you_ watch Dream Boat, I thought you'd be more into nerd culture."

Upon taking notice of their friend's ever-growing disbelief, Carol and the Gals suddenly felt some sly grins appear on their faces. "Okay...seeing as how business is dead for the moment, I think it's time we talked" Whitney suggested, "and I mean _civilly!_" In an instant, Fiona realized that the statement was being directed at _her_ and gave a light "harrumph."

"Please...try and work things out with my bro, Fi" begged Leni, "don't make me choose between two kinds of people I love again!" Upon hearing this statement, the four Gal Pals blinked confusedly and asked what Leni was talking about. "Pull up a box, Gals" sighed Lincoln, "there's another part of the Louds History you should know about."

(Line Break)

Sometime later, Officer Schoffner was returning from her lunch break; sipping on a latte cup she purchased from the food court. As she draw nearer towards Reininger's, she could hear sounds of laughing from inside. Her police instincts kicking in, Schoffner made a beeline for the store entrance...to find that everything appeared okay.

Aside from there being so few customers inside like before, everyone appeared okay; including Lincoln and his group. Eventually, Miguel caught sight of Schoffner from the desk and waved at her. "Good afternoon, Ma'am" he said in greeting, "I trust you had a good lunch break?" Despite her instincts telling her to remain on guard, she still responded with a polite "yes."

"That's wonderful to hear" said Miguel, "as you can see, things are well in order here." He then added that during her time away, Lincoln and his associates agreed to help see to the few customers they had in the store. While this _was_ rather generous of them; Schoffner felt that as patrons to the store, the group didn't have to do the employees' work for them.

"It's no trouble at all, Ma'am" Lincoln said while popping up suddenly, "it's my way of making amends for all the grief I inadvertently caused my sister and her co-worker so long ago." Before the officer could say anything, Leni and Fiona called Lincoln over to help them lift a box up to them. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered the call and hurried over.

Officer Schoffner watched as the young Loud boy bent down, lifted up the box full of sweaters as high as he could and hand it off to Leni. After this, she handed it to Fiona and _she_ placed the box onto a shelf. "Thanks for the assist, lil' man" she said while giving Lincoln a high five, "Leni was right, you _are_ cool...but you're still a nerd."

Surprisingly, Lincoln took no offense to the comment; choosing to only smile at her and proclaim "and proud of it." This caused everyone to share a hearty laugh, which Schoffner couldn't help but smile at. "Well...looks like everything's a-okay here" she muttered with approval, "nothing went amiss while I was away...right?"

Without hesitation; everyone said everything went splendidly, aside from a...minor disagreement between Lincoln and Fiona. "It's okay, though" Dana interjected, "they've talked things out and Lincoln agreed to help his sister here for the rest of the work day." At first, Schoffner was prepared to scold the teens for having a minor do some of the work.

"With all due respect, Ma'am; it's like I told you earlier" Lincoln stated, "I caused Fiona and my sister a bit of grief, long ago...the least I can do is help make amends." For a moment or two, Officer Schoffner offered no response; which made everyone feel nervous. Finally; she let out a soft groan smiled and decided to let this go...just for today.

After that, she went back on monitoring Leni from the other side of the store; which didn't really bother her. After that, Lincoln and resumed helping Fiona and Miguel with their work in silence. But then, Carol suddenly remembered why they came here in the first place; his back to school clothes.

"Let me finish helping these two hang up some shirts first, Carol" Lincoln called out, "then, we'll get back to business." The young teen smiled at him warmly and thanked Lincoln for lending a hand. "Agreed, lil' man" said Miguel with a chuckle, "we really appreciate the help; how can Fiona and I repay you?"

For a moment, Lincoln considered asking for a discount on any clothes he would get from her...but decided against it, after a while. "There's no need" he said humbly, "if my helping you helps make things cool between the three of us, that's all I want." For a moment, Fiona didn't know how to respond; which made everyone feel quite anxious.

Finally; she looked down at him, smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Yeah...we're cool, Lil' Loud" Fiona assured, "just promise me _one_ little thing." With a gentle yet weary sigh, Lincoln looked up at the teen and awaited her request.

"It's no biggie" she stated, "just...if you ever plan on doing your 'superhero business' again, let me know so that I can properly prepare the displays." When Lincoln asked what she meant by "properly prepare them," Fiona chuckled and answered him by presenting a small prohibition sign. Beneath the familiar "no symbol" was what looked like a human symbol; the same kind one would find on the Men's Room door.

However, this symbol showed the man "performing" a series of flips. When Leni got a look at the sign, she turned towards Fiona and asked what it meant. "Anytime your bro and his bestie go into 'Hero Mode,' _these_ will be on display" she replied, "they're meant to say...'No Superhero Acrobatics near Clothe or Apparel Displays!'"

After saying this, she proceeded to hang the signs at each of their respective areas. "We've already notified Mrs. Carmichael about this" Fiona added, "you'd be surprise how many kids come here wanting to buy clothes just for 'Hero Stuff.'" Lincoln laughed heartily at this news, imagining all the times such a thing happened.

"If you and your friend promise to obey this rule whenever we're here...we're cool now" she said with a coy grin, "do you think you can work with that?" Without hesitation, Lincoln nodded his head enthusiastically and thanked Fiona for giving him a second chance. "Well, now that that's settled; back to business" Carol sighed with relief, "Miguel, get the dressing room ready!"

In response, the young teen saluted her and hurried over towards the aforementioned room; opening the door. Meanwhile, Fiona and Leni proceeded to guide Lincoln towards every clothing display available. "Well, guys; I'm happy that things are square between me and Fiona here" Lincoln said timidly to the viewer, "I just hope I can survive modeling for her and my sister!"

Soon after that, Leni came in with an armful of clothes and shut the door. "Let's try some new pants first" she suggested from inside, "do you want the usual jeans, Khakis, Jorts or Skinny Jeans?" With a light grin upon his face, Lincoln reached over and pick up a pair of blue jeans from the pile. "Okay, my man" Miguel stated, "let's get measuring."

(First AN: Looks like Lincoln has a new Gal Pal, thank goodness he was able to fix things between him and Fiona. Anywho...I think I remember Crafordbrian17 requesting me to make this idea requested, sometime last year. But I couldn't at the time because I was busy with other pieces.

Regardless, here's the final product; I hope it turned out well for you all.)

(Second AN: The "Puppy Dog Pout" thing was in reference to something Haiku did in either my original Gal Pals story or for one of the other Oneshots in this anthology. Regardless, it was such a funny scene that I just _had_ to use it again. I think the puppy whimpers and small tears the Gals used were a nice touch to really weaken Linc and Clyde's resolves, don't ya think?)

(Third AN: To anyone who felt Fiona seemed OOC here, I'm sorry if you felt that. But in the rare moments she, Lincoln and Clyde crossed paths; they didn't exactly part on pleasant terms. Thus, I envisioned her still feeling...a tad surly over how the boys behaved back then and how they accused her of stealing.

It certainly didn't help much that both Fiona and Miguel still remembered the events of the trial from the OG Gal Pals story. Regardless; with the help of his legal guardians, he and Fiona were _finally_ able to put their issues to bed. I may use her and Miguel again, someday...but don't quote me on that.)

(Fourth AN: The Operation: Dessert Storm thing and Leni mentioning Lincoln and Clyde's snickerdoodles are references to Loud House episodes. The latter one being from Middle Men, while the former has been brought up by name in more episodes than I can count.

I figured O:DS would be a good way to help Lincoln and Miguel bond a little.)

(Fifth AN: The title of this oneshot, "Malling" is a play on the term "Mauling;" which is something used to describe a vicious attack from an animal. In _this_ case, Lincoln was afraid of getting verbally and emotionally "mauled" by Fiona. Just wanted to point that out, in case anyone got confused or curious.)

(Final AN: There's just one more oneshot story and then, the Summer Arc of this anthology is over. Afterwards, we'll be going into the fall; where we'll join the gang on Lincoln's first day of Middle School, Halloween, an upcoming camping story featuring Beatrix Yates and of course, Lincoln's Birthday. In regards of the potential birthday story, many theorize that Lincoln's birthday is around the starting weeks of September or the end of August.

Because of this, I've decided to save Lincoln's B-day for the premiere story of the Fall Arc. Keep your eyes peeled for it, in the weeks ahead.)


	6. Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals Pt 1

Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals – Part One

(Story Summary: Michigan's annual Renaissance Faire is fast approaching and news arrives that it's going to be held within Royal Woods. Naturally, Lincoln and his friends are excited for it; none more so than Haiku. But what sort of surprises does the faire have in store for our favorite friend group?)

As our story opens, we come to a small house on the edge of Royal Woods. In the upper levels of this house, we find what appears to be a princess dancing around her room. She had long blonde hair, which was braided into a ponytail and had skin as white as the snow but exquisitely beautiful.

She wore a beautiful sapphire-blue medieval bodice with matching gloves, navy blue shoes with a leather strap over each foot. The "princess" later puts on the final touches to her attire, when she suddenly takes notice of the "viewers" watching her and smiles. "Good morrow to ye, friends" she greets in olde English, "I bid thee welcome to my humble chambers."

After a brief moment of silence, the young lady realizes that everyone is "staring" at her confusedly; as if unsure of whom she was. "Do you not recognize me" she inquires, "mayhaps _this _will help ease your confusion." With that said, she reached behind her head and unraveled the braids in her hair.

Once released, her locks cascaded downward to her shoulders and half of it lightly covers up one side of her face. Afterwards, her smile briefly changes into a frown; then, a bat suddenly flies in and rests upon her left shoulder. "Do you recognize me now" the girl asks with a coy grin, "it's me, Hilde...better known as Haiku."

Once this reveal is made and the viewer comes to understand the truth; Haiku, in the blink of an eye, redoes her hair into its original ponytail. "For those wondering, _this_ is how I looked before I went Goth" she informed, "not so much the princess look...but the blonde hair, ponytail and my normal fleshy pale skin tone."

As she continues speaking, Haiku goes over to her still Gothic-looking vanity desk and puts on the last thing for her outfit; a necklace bearing a large faux aquamarine gemstone in the middle. "You guys may be wondering why I'm dressed like something out of a fairy tale, right" the wee Goth inquired, "as I said; before going Goth, I used to be a blonde."

Haiku then went on to explain how two years ago, she used to look like every other girl at her school; "cookie cutter and generic." "What I mean is...every girl in my grade, back then was all about style this and trendy that" she grumbled, "I got sick of it, after a while and with Lucy Loud's help, I came to love the Goth lifestyle."

Upon mentioning Lucy's name, Haiku revealed a secret she only shared her brother. That is to say, before the events of the trial between him and the family happened. "You guys must think us Goths are all alike; obsessed with death, mean and bitter at the world" she murmured, "but the truth is, we're far from all that."

Haiku then revealed that much like Lucy, there were moments where she felt the need to break out of her comfort zone and try things that would be considered..."non-Goth." "Truth is; as much as I like vampires and funerals, I'm also really into art and reading fantasy stories" she confessed, "one of my favorites is The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy." At that moment, Haiku realized that she was getting off-topic and decided to get to the point.

"No doubt, I'll bet you're all wondering why I'm dressed like this" she inquired to the viewer, "well...maybe _this _will help explain everything." With that said; she brings out her laptop, logs on to a video website, performs a quick search and then, plays a very specific video piece. Not long after that, a set of buisine (a medieval style trumpet) appears on the screen and plays a triumphant fanfare.

After that; what looks like a court jester wearing a checkered suit, a black and white Fool's hat with jingle bells, white face paint with red lips done in a clown-like grin and a pair of curly-toed shoes (one black and one white) appears on the screen. He performs a quick backflip to show off his acrobatic skills and then, dips a flaming torch into his mouth before belching out the fire like a dragon. After taking a moment to clear his throat, he faces the screen and bows to the viewers at home.

_"Hear ye, hear ye" _he cried loudly with joy in his voice, _"the annual Michigan Renaissance Faire is back for another glorious summer season!"_ He then goes on to say that on this particular summer; for the first time ever, the fair would be setting up roots within the rural areas of Royal Woods. _"Come all ye merry gentlemen and join in all the wondrous things the shire folk have to offer"_ the jester said with great pride, _"there will minstrels, fire eaters, sword swallowers, acrobats of all kinds and much more!"_

From here, the video began to show a clip reel of all the events and sights within the faire. There were belly dancers, mud wrestlers, jesters performing feats of whimsy and magic for the patrons and of course, the jousting tournament. There were also clips of people sampling some of the faire's delicious foods available, like turkey legs and mutton joints.

"Sigh...As much as I love the Goth life, I love the life of a Rennie even more" Haiku said blissfully, "I've attended the Michigan Faire since I was five years old."

(Cue brief flashbacks of lil' Haiku at the faire; playing, laughing, petting the knights' horses at the jousting field...the whole nine yards.)

As Haiku snaps out of her momentary Nostalgia Trip, she goes on to say that she had been waiting for the faire to come to town for ages. "It's not just _me_ that's excited about this, though" she stated, "Lincoln, Clyde and every one of our Gal Pals friends in town have been looking forward to this since the first ad premiered at the end of June." Upon thinking about her friends, she turned off the video on her laptop and brought up the video chat screen.

Afterwards, she clicked on a group chat icon that read "Call: Gal Pals" and waited for an answer. Suddenly, after only twelve seconds of waiting, the laptop gave off an electronic hum; which signaled that her call was about to be answered. Soon, the video chat menu showed off several small windows; which showed each member of the Gal Pals accordingly.

"Heya" Carol greeted first, "WOW! You really look good dressed like that, Haiku." The vast majority echoed her response with equal appeal, while one or two of them said that they didn't expect her to dress as something so "girly." "I half expected you to want to dress up as something like...an executioner or a gypsy" Paige stated, "all due respect."

Haiku offered up a genuine laugh at the comment; not a sort of raspy, monotone one mind you but a giggle that sounded sweet like a child's. "It's okay, P; I get it" she said reassuringly, "I thought about going as a gypsy earlier...but I decided on the princess angle." Haiku then added that while there would be as many princess as there are gypsy costumes at the faire, _she_ had something that would make her stand out more.

Then, in a flash; she collected a few small things from her desk. One was a small makeup kit and brush, the other was a pair of pointed ears. After getting these items, she began her work and the webcam screen was suddenly engulfed by a cloud of power.

When the dust cleared and Haiku revealed her final look, everyone gasped in awe. Her face was coated with some light mixes of blue and green, the fake pointed ears fit perfectly over her own and her lips were coated with a light layer of blue lip gloss. After letting her friends' shocked expressions sink in for a few moments, Haiku smiled and asked them "well...how do I look?"

What was interesting, however is the fact that she said this in some sort of unusual language. "Uh...Haiku, could you repeat that" Cici asked hesitantly, "I don't think we heard you correctly." After taking a moment to have a good laugh at the whole thing, Haiku properly asked what everyone thought of her look.

"In that case, you are _totally_ workin' it" cheered Dana, "I'm guessing you're going as a mythical creature of some kind." Haiku nodded silently and explained that she'd be going as a wood faerie princess; while also adding that she spoke to them earlier was the language of the fae folk (or faeries.) "Oh, yeah; I knew I heard of that somewhere" Jordan exclaimed, "it's the ancient Fae tongue from the Mystic Wood of Avilar series!"

This response intrigued Haiku and she asked if anyone else was a fan. "Are you kidding, I've been an Avilarian since I was eight years old" Whitney said proudly, "I even designed my own version of the faerie queen's royal gown." To prove her words were true; she went to the back of her room towards the closet, pulled back the doors and revealed the gown in question.

Granted, said product was small and it lacked a little of the fashion touch. But Whitney assured she later made a better version, after graduating Middle School. "Do you plan on wearing that to the faire" inquired Haiku, "I never thought I'd say it...but we could do a theme thing, in honor of the book." The High Schooler smiled at the idea but politely shut it down, proclaiming that she and her friends already had their costumes at the ready.

With this reveal; she, Carol, Becky and Dana showed of JPEGs of them in their outfits. What surprised everyone was the fact that while Carol and Dana also went with the princess/noblewoman idea, Whitney and Becky chose something else. The former was dressed as a sort of female knight, complete with a wooden longsword at her hip and a shield bearing a white lioness as her emblem.

Meanwhile, Becky seemed to be dressed like some sort of hooded spy. But Haiku quickly pointed out that the teen was dressed as more of an assassin, like those from Assassin's Creed. "Whoa...that's kinda dark" Phoebe stated, "never imagined _you _would want to try that kind of look.

With a coy smile upon her lips; Becky said that much like Haiku, she also wanted to step out of her comfort zone a little. "Besides, get a load of my cloak and weapons belts" she said while revealing a pair of straps over her body, "don't worry...none of these pouches have anything in them." Everyone was relieved to hear this news, believing that they'd be banned from entering the grounds; if any of them had _real_ weapons on them.

Next, Paige and Jordan revealed themselves to resemble a pair of minstrels. But while the former carried a small mandolin upon her back, the latter gal revealed that she was more of a flute playing sort of minstrel. "I'm going as my favorite historical hero, Joan of Arc" Cristina declared, "what do you think?"

Soon after asking this, she showed everyone a picture of herself in costume. The "armor" was slimmer and more suited for a female, she had a shield that showed off Joan's iconic coat of arms (consisting of two lilies, a sword and a crown) and her usually curly hair had been combed down so that it would appear long and smooth. "Very cool there, Crissie" Whitney stated, "although...I'm a bit jealous that _your _curls are easier to manage than mine."

After everyone shared a little chuckle at the teen's comment, they continued on with showing off their outfits. "I'm going as one of my favorite Renaissance artists, Michelangelo" Phoebe stated, "and _NO..._I am _not _talking about that turtle dude!" This outburst created a jolly fit of laughter from the group, all of whom fully understanding the confusion of the name.

Then, Haiku turned towards Phoebe's window in the chat and asked why she would desire to go as a painter/sculptor. "Just because I'm a shutterbug doesn't mean I'm not a fan of _other_ art forms" she said matter-of-factly, "every now and again, I...feel the urge to paint some of the pictures I take." There was a light murmur of approval from the other gals, all of whom stating that Phoebe's artistic pursuits were commendable ones.

After that, Kat revealed _her_ costume; which seemed to take everyone by surprise. Her long hair had been done up into a top-knot, she was dressed in a sort of fake leather shirt, had a matching medium-length skirt around her hips, thick boots with furry rims and her face was covered in a sort of white and blue face paint with the blue designs giving her the look of a Celtic warrior. The moment she appeared on screen, Kat let out a fierce ululating battle cry.

She was armed with a wooden battle-axe that was half her height and carried a wooden shield upon her back. "Holy Cannoli, Kat" exclaimed Stella, "you really pulled out all the stops for your look." Upon hearing her friend's words, Kat's warrior demeanor faded slightly and felt a soft blush coating her cheeks.

"Sorry for spookin' ya, everybody" she giggled bashfully, "it's just...the faire is one of the two times of the year where I can put away my usual 'girly' nature and get in touch with my _WILD SIDE!_" The rest of the gang murmured in agreement with her, fully empathizing with their friend's desire to cut loose on occasion. When asked what the other occasion was where she liked to do so, Kat happily replied with "Halloween."

"Trust me on this, everybody" Haiku said confidently, "our trip is going blow anything that Halloween has out of the water." Just as everyone was about to discuss what they plan on doing at the faire; Stella, dressed as a privateer, asked a very important question...how would their entire group be able to get into the faire? "That's a good point" Cici murmured worriedly, "the tickets must all be selling like hotcakes, who knows if we'll get _ours_ in time."

No sooner having said this, Jordan revealed a rather ironic yet amusing circumstance. "I was passing Clyde's house the other day and I saw him with Liam, Lincoln, Rusty and Zach in the living room" she explained, "I kid you not...the entire floor was covered with phones!" After taking a moment to allow their friend to have a good laugh, Haiku asked where the irony was in her story.

"Okay...sometime after news regarding the faire coming _here_ arrived, there was some kind of radio contest announced" Jordan explained, "the station would be giving out five free tickets to the 92nd caller."

(Flashback: The McBride Household, days earlier)

As our story goes back on the day in question, we find Lincoln and his guy friends in the living room of the McBride home. All around them on the floor, the sofa, the chairs, the coffee table and even the nightstand beside the sofa; there are scores of phones strewn about (from cellular to the "old school" push button phones.) We then find our young friends sitting together on the sofa with a radio lying between Lincoln and Clyde.

For a few moments, they appear to simply be listening to the music. But once the song ends, the five of them suddenly begin to tense up; as if expecting something to happen. _"And that was Mick Swagger's iconic hit Transformation takin' up the No.1 spot for the fifth week in a row" _the deejay said in a mellow yet cool voice, _"before we go to break; just a reminder, the annual Michigan Ren Faire is fast approaching."_

The moment this was mentioned, the boys tensed up so much that they almost dug their fingers through the couch cushions. Alas, the deejay seemed to go of on a brief tangent about the overall history of Renaissance Faires, including that of Michigan's own. The whole time this was happening, the boys started sweating profusely and started trembling with anticipation.

Finally, the radio host brought his story to an end and got to the main point of his broadcast. While tickets have been selling fast all over Royal Woods for the faire, he managed to snag five of them. _"The winning caller will receive these tickets absolutely free"_ he stated, _"so get to those phones."_

After that, he mentioned he would be answering "caller 92" and that was the signal the boys needed. Once Lincoln gave the signal of "GO," everyone frantically dialed the station number on every phone around them. While all this was going on; Jordan watched it all unfold from the outside the house in both fascination, confusion and a little bit of shock mixed in as well.

Despite every window being closed shut; she could clearly hear them shouting out stuff like "yeah," "hello" or "I want it" into almost every phone. Alas, with every time they've tried; the boys were met with the loud echoes of busy signals on the other end. Then, after the 20th failed attempt to reach the station; the poor lads appeared on the verge of a stressful burnout.

All of this felt so bizarre to Jordan that in the end, she decided to bail and head back home as quickly as she could.

(Back to the Present)

The moment the story ended, the Gals all found themselves rolling on the floor or in their computer chairs with hysterical laughter. After finally calming down, five minutes later; Paige asked if any one of the boys were successful in becoming the winning caller. "I was told by Officer Higgins, down at the Loud House that someone _did _manage to make the call" Carol stated, "only thing is...it wasn't Lincoln or any of the boys."

This bit put everyone on the edge of their seats and they immediately begged to know who won. "Ironically enough, it was Clyde's dads; Harold and Howard" Carol said while giggling, "the boys used every phone they had at their disposal...except for the one in the kitchen." This bit of news would've had the Gals rolling with laughter, if they weren't already so breathless.

"So...what happened after" questioned Phoebe, "did the boys get the tickets or did Mr. and Mr. McBride keep them?" After taking a moment to wipe a tear from her eye from her laughing fit, Carol explained that the boys would get each of the tickets; on the condition they cleaned up all the phones from the floor before suppertime...and that they'd all promise to be careful during their trip (specifically Clyde.) "I like that idea" Stella murmured, "it's firm yet at the same time, very fair."

In the end, the Gals were all happy the boys managed to obtain tickets for the faire. But they quickly realized that they overlooked one glaring and fundamental question, how would they get _theirs?!_ "Don't worry about that, you guys" Haiku interjected with a soft yet confident smile, "I've already got that part taken care of."

Naturally; this revelation filled the others with a strange combination of excitement, fear, confusion and skepticism. "What are you talking about, Haiku" Cici asked suspiciously, "how could _you_ have scored tickets for all ten of us?" While still keeping her smile on her face, the young Goth child simply zipped up her lips; proclaiming that it was all a surprise.

"Trust me; everything will become clear, when we're all heading to the gates on opening day" she explained, "but to help ease your curiosities, let's just say...I know somebody on the inside." While they all had strong trust in their friend, something about her saying she "knew someone on the inside" felt a little...odd. Regardless; with their entry into the faire now assured, the time had come for everyone to bring an end to their call.

"See y'all this weekend, gang" Carol said pleasantly, "and Haiku...we hope this someone you 'know on the inside' is a trustworthy individual." Rather than offer up a rebuttal, Haiku simply winked at everyone and assured them that everything will be revealed soon. With that, everyone's screens on the group chat went blank and Haiku packed up her laptop for the night.

As she made her way over to her bed, the wee Goth faced the viewer and "saw" that they were giving her looks of uncertainty as well. "You guys think I've got some trick up my sleeves, don't you" she asked, causing the screen to move up and down in a nod; "first off, I don't have any sleeves and second...trust me, you'll find out what's going on soon." With that, she laid herself down and closed her eyes for a good night's rest.

(Scene Change: The Rural Area of Royal Woods – location of the Michigan Ren Faire)

Days passed and soon, the opening day of the faire had come. The whole area was full of hustle and bustle, from the merchant booths all the way to the "Castle Stage" at the center of the grounds. Outside of the faire, down at the box office station; we find a long line of patrons standing in line, anxiously waiting to reach the window. Among them were the other nine members of the Gal Pals, who all appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"OOOH! What is taking so _long_" groaned Dana with impatience, "I don't know what's more nerve-racking, waiting for Haiku...or waiting for the boys!" The others couldn't help but echo their friend's statement, each of whom feeling just as anxious to get in. Then, at that moment; there came the sound of singing from not too far away from them.

As Carol and her crew of three looked over their shoulders, they could see a group of small figures approaching them down the sidewalk. Upon taking a closer look, Dana saw that it was none other than Lincoln and his friends. What truly caught their eyes were the outfits each of them wore.

While the vast majority of them wore some form of tights (with Lincoln's being a sort of...Lincoln green, ironically enough, and Zach's being red;" the others had entirely different clothing choices. Liam was dressed in a sort of medieval friar's robe, Rusty sported a hooded tunic with light and dark brown colors and black pants. Lastly; Clyde was wearing a green leather vest over a blue silk shirt, brown pants and blue shoes.

While some of the boys carried quarterstaves or bows and arrow quivers with them, Clyde came only with a small medieval-style harp with him. After a moment or so, the Gals quickly realized just who the boys were supposed to be; Robin Hood and the Merry Men. As they drew closer, everyone in line could suddenly hear the boys breaking out into song.

Lincoln:

_I'm Robin Hood from yonder wood_

_With my little bow and arrow_

_I hit with ease three out of threes_

_With my little bow and arrow_

Rusty:

_I'm Little John, I've never gone_

_On the road that's straight and narrow_

_I get my pound of what's around_

_With my little bow and arrow_

Clyde, Liam and Zach: _Five busy little men we are, giving our gold away_

Liam: _We take from the wicked_

Zach: _And give to the good_

All Five: _And go happily on our way_

All:

_When they come tough, we treat them rough_

_With our little bow and arrow_

_Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, we fear no foe_

_With our little bow and arrow_

As the final note of their song rang out, the crowd of patrons standing in line suddenly broke out in applause; including the Gal Pals. "Oh, boys; that was wonderful" gushed Dana, "you're all really into the spirit now!" Lincoln smiled warmly at his guardian, removed his bycoket cap and bowed respectably in thanks to her kind words.

But as he rose up, Lincoln got a look at Carol and Dana's outfits and suddenly blushed deeply. It was enough that Dana looked drop-dead gorgeous in her violet medieval gown, long light purple gloves and headdress (complete with veil) but she also appeared to be wearing a corset, which gave her a rather...slightly curvy appearance. Carol appeared to be also dressed in a regal get up but her dress was more of a peach color.

On the back of her dress collar, Lincoln could see what looked like a hood. The part of her sleeves covering her upper arms appeared poofy, while the lower half was much smoother and like Dana, she also wore a corset; which also gave her a curvy look. The other boys took notice of this and soon, they suddenly felt their own faces heating up.

It didn't take long for the teens to catch on with what was happening. But regardless, Carol and Dana couldn't help but giggle a little at their awestruck faces. "Aww! You boys are sweet" the brunette teen said in a baby-talk voice, "but...aren't ya going to tell us about your outfits?"

Upon hearing this inquiry, the boys immediately snapped out of their days and did everything they could to collect themselves. "He-he...Sorry about that" giggled Lincoln bashfully, "anyway; I'm Robin Hood, Rusty is Little John, Liam is Friar Tuck, Clyde is Alan-a-Dale and Zach is Will Scarlet." With that introduction, the other boys removed their own caps and bowed in greeting.

But much like his bestie, Clyde did everything in his power to not become overwhelmed by how lovely Dana _or _Carol looked. With that done, it seemed that both groups were present and accounted for...all but one. "Where is Haiku" Paige grumbled, "I thought she said she had a plan to help us get inside."

While everyone pondered on the whereabouts of their Gothic pal, they failed to notice that the line ahead of them had already left; leaving _their_ group standing in the middle of the sidewalk. If the box office manager didn't call out to them, seconds later; they would've been completely lost in thought. Within moments, everyone reached the entrance and found themselves sweating nervously.

As Carol prepared to speak up; in the blink of an eye, Haiku suddenly appeared before them and said "don't worry, guys...this is on me." After that, she reached into her travel bag and pulled out two passes; both of which read "Family Pass" on them in medieval calligraphy. While the reveal of Haiku having passes already in her possession _was_ a welcomed surprise, they wondered why they bore the word "family" on them.

When they asked her for an explanation, the young Goth's face suddenly shined a soft red. "I know you'll probably think I'm weird for saying this" Haiku murmured, "but...after everything we've been through together, I kinda...sorta can't help but look at you guys as my family...symbolically speaking." This confession touched both Lincoln and the Gals deeply and before she could object, they all enveloped Haiku in a loving group hug.

Meanwhile, the other boys commented on how sappy yet touching the whole display looked. Finally, Haiku called for some space to breathe before urging everyone to follow her through the gates. "There's just one thing I don't get" questioned Zach, "how did you get the passes for you and the girls?"

Without looking back at them, Haiku smiled softly and said the same thing she told the Gal Pals; "I know somebody on the inside." Just like it did with the ladies the other night, this statement made the boys tilt their heads in confusion. But before anyone could question its meaning, the skies echoed with the hollow yet loud sounds of drum beats.

"There we are" murmured Haiku, "come on, guys; I'm about to introduce you to my 'inside source.'" At first, everyone hesitated; unsure if what might lie ahead. But then, they decided to trust their friend and eventually gave chase.

(Line Break)

For almost five minutes, the group traveled through the grounds; all while following the music they heard earlier. At first, it sounded as though it was coming somewhere very close. But then, it seemed to have moved on to another area entirely.

"We must be dealing with roving musicians" Haiku deduced, "they wander the grounds attracting other patrons to come and see their performance." Despite this logical explanation, everyone wondered how they would be able to find these musicians if they tended to wander around? "Every so often, they find specific spots to perform and remain there until the song is done" Haiku explained, "just keep following the music."

With that said, the group continued on their journey to find the elusive music source. This led them to a magnificent stone fountain at the center of the ground. There, they discovered a band of musicians dressed up in Scottish renaissance clothing. The group seemed to comprise of three men and three women.

One of the men played a mandolin, the second showed off some impressive violin skills and the third played on a sort of medieval drum known as a Tabor. The women players consisted of one bagpiper, one a flute player and a dancer. As a crowd gathered to watch them, the group suddenly burst into song and urged everyone to join them.

(Dancer)

_Here's good luck to the pint pot_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(All)

_Jolly good luck to the pint pot_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

_Oh the pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Violinist)

_And here's good luck to the half gallon_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(All)

_'Jolly good luck to the half gallon_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_Oh the half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Piper)

_Well, here's good luck to the gallon_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

(All)

_Jolly good luck to the gallon_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_Oh the gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Flutist)

_Well, here's good luck to the half barrel_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(All)

_Jolly good luck to the half barrel_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_Oh the half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Mandolin Player)

_Well, here's good luck to the barrel_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_(All band members and the crowd)_

_Jolly good luck to the barrel_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_Oh the barrel, half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Dancer)

_Well, here's good luck to the daughter_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Everyone)

_Jolly good luck to the daughter_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_

_Oh the daughter, barrel, half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Flutist)

_Here's good luck to the landlord_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Everyone)

J_olly good luck to the landlord_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

_Oh the landlord, daughter, barrel, half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(As the music picks up, Haiku suddenly decides to join in)

(Flutist)

_Well, here's good luck to the brewer_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Haiku)

_Jolly good luck to the brewer_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

_Oh the brewer, landlord, daughter, barrel, half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(Everyone)

_Well, here's good luck to the company_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow'_  
_Jolly good luck to the company_  
_Good luck to the Barley Mow_

(the guitarist strums his mandolin faster, causing the dancer and Haiku to perform a spinning dance at an almost dizzying rate)

_Oh the company, brewer, land-lord, daughter, barrel, half barrel, gallon, half gallon, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and a brown bowl_  
_Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow_

(The Band and the Crowd)

YEAH!

When the song ended; Lincoln, his guy friends, the remaining Gal Pals and the crowd of other patrons erupted into a roaring frenzy of applause. After the group managed to catch their breath, each member stood up and bowed/curtsied to them. "Thank ye for your warm applause, Lords and Ladies" the dancer called out loudly, "be sure to keep watch for us 'round the shire, during your stay!"

Before the crowd left the area, the band's flutist reminded everyone of all the other things to see at the faire; while also wishing them a pleasant stay. With that, the crowd began to disperse while extending comments of approval towards the group; leaving the Gal Pals and the boys behind with them. "WOW! That was spectacular" Clyde cried with delight, "I wish I had _half_ the dancing skills that lady's got!"

At that moment; the dancer among the musician group suddenly overheard his comment, tensed up slightly and turned her gaze towards the two groups. Then, her gaze slowly fell down to the wee form of Haiku; who seemed to be looking up at her with admiring eyes. After a moment or two of silence; Haiku smiled at the woman, performed a sort of "bowing curtsy" and murmured "good morrow to thee...Nanna."

In a flash, Lincoln suddenly understood what was going on; this mystery woman was Haiku's insider for the passes. But before he could reveal this to the others, the dancing woman suddenly scooped Haiku off the ground and clutched her tightly into a loving bear hug that almost rivaled Carol's. "Oh, Hildy; ma wee bairn" she cried with great joy, "'tis so good to see ya here again, lass!"

In that moment, no one knew what was stranger; the fact that the woman apparently knew Haiku by her true name or that she was performing PDA with her. Now, at Ren Faires; there was always the possibility of being tightly yet warmly embraced by busty maidens in corsets and this particular one was no different from them. But the exact _way_ she was hugging Haiku however, looked as though they personally knew one another.

As if things couldn't get any weirder, the rest of the band started acting equally affectionate towards the young Goth as well; which confused the Gal Pals immensely. "Sakes alive, Hildy" cried the drummer, "you're almost as tall as me...when did ye start growin' so fast?" Haiku let out a soft yet amused laugh before proclaiming that the drummer was simply exaggerating.

"So...how are ye, lass" the drummer inquired, "ye still dabblin' in them dark forces like your Nanna?" The dancing woman momentarily ceased hugging Haiku and glared softly yet angrily at her bandmate. "Mind your tongue, Angus" she growled, "tain't nothin' wrong with believin' in outside forces and the wee people."

Upon hearing this Lincoln, Clyde and Zach couldn't help but throw back their heads and cry out "YES, exactly!" The moment they said this however, every eye of the band fell down upon them; thus making the boys feel quite nervous. For a moment; the four of them could only stand in silence, as the musicians stared at them intently.

Finally, the Tabor player (known to the other band members as "Angus") suddenly started laughing. "Heavenly heather" he cried, "we're in the presence of Robin of Loxley and the Merry Men, lads!" The moment this was said, the flutist scoffed softly and proclaimed the "daft fool" was seeing things.

"This lad ain't no Robin Hood" she exclaimed, "Robin don't have no snow white locks!" Despite this reveal, Angus proclaimed that the boys still had rather convincing costumes. He surprised them further by properly addressing them all by name.

"Aye! Those are some fine outfits you've got on, lads" the dancer said with great pride in her voice, "ma Hildy said the lot of ye were creative gents and now, I see the proof for meself." Upon hearing the name "Hildy" being used once again, Carol politely raised her hand and asked whom the woman was referring to. "Hildy is a nickname for Hildegard" Haiku stated, "have you all forgotten already that that is my _real_ name?"

The moment she said this, everyone started murmuring softly to themselves in disappointment of their forgetfulness. "Okay, so...who the heck is _she_" Paige asked, "and who are all _these guys_, for that matter?" With that inquiry, everyone began wondering the same thing and asked Haiku for an explanation.

"Guess it's time to let the black cat out of the bag" she murmured with a soft giggle, "guys, this is Fiona McNair; the inside source on the passes I was telling you about before." While this explanation was moderately acceptable, the Gals believed there was far more to the situation than that. "How were you able to get the passes so easily from her" questioned Dana, "are you two friends or something?"

Upon hearing this, Ms. McNair suddenly laughed uproariously; as if the teen said a funny joke. "Oh, lass; Hildy and I are more than simple friends" she stated, "we are bound together by blood ye see." While the statement seemed a tad...strange, something about it seemed familiar to Lincoln.

For a moment or so, he racked his brain; trying his best to figure out where he last heard it. Then, like a blow to the head; the memory came to him.

(Brief Flashback to the Loud House, where Lincoln and Lucy are seen watching Vampires of Melancholia together. During the episode; the lead vampire, Edwin, is welcoming Tristan's family into his castle.)

Edwin on the TV: "Now that Tristan has become one of us, a vampire; in honor of this, I welcome you all into my home as well."

(Edwin, Griselda and Tristan bestow the ancient vampire family crest upon the human family members)

Griselda on the TV: "From this day forward, we are more than friends and allies; we are bound together by blood."

(Lucy sighs at how poetic the phrase sounds, while Lincoln lightly grimaces; mainly towards the mention of blood)

(Cut back to reality)

The moment this memory came and went, Lincoln's eyes grew wide and he quickly yet respectfully called for everyone's attention. "I think I know what's going on, guys" he exclaimed, "somehow, Haiku and this woman...are related!" At first, Rusty and Liam acted like Lincoln was talking crazy; proclaiming that the two ladies looked completely different from each other.

"Nae, lads; your friend's tellin' the truth" Fiona assured, "Lil' Hildy here...is my granddaughter." The moment this revelation was said, everyone's eyes (save for those of the other members of the music group) almost popped out of their heads. Afterwards, they took a moment to have a good look at the woman from head to toe; in hopes of finding any physical similarities between her and Haiku.

Much to their surprise, the differences were subtle yet quite obvious. Not only did Miss McNair appear to dress in more brightly colored clothes than Haiku did in her everyday attire. But her hair was a fiery shade of red and was braided into a long ponytail. Her eyes were as green as jade stones, her lips were as full and luscious as ripe strawberries and she when she spoke, her voice sounded quite sweet...even with the thick accent.

After that, she and Haiku introduced her bandmates to everyone. "The man playing the fiddle is my Grandfather, or Granda/da as they say back in their land; Gareth Matthews" the young Goth announced, "the man beside _him_ with the fiddle is Angus Blackwood, my Nanna's brother and my Great Uncle and the mandolin player is Gregor McDuffee; a college friend of my Nanna's." After this, the three gentlemen greeted the group with a courteous bow.

Moving on to the other women of the group, Haiku introduced them as Kyla Abercrombie and Leslie Haggard; whom Fiona considered as childhood friends. "Judging from the accents you and some of your associates have, Miss McNair; I'm guessing that you all might be Scottish-Americans" suggested Clyde while approaching the bagpiper shyly, "I mean...I could be wrong, of course." Much to the boy's relief, the group members smiled warmly at him and responded with a collective nod.

"We _are_ of Scottish blood, laddie" Angus said matter-of-factly, "as true as the day is long...save for Gareth; he's from 'round these parts." After this; Mr. Matthews explained how he once grew up in New York, originally and worked as one of the Customs Agents who'd welcome immigrants arriving from outside nations. "The moment I saw Fiona come off the ship, love just kicked me in the face" he chuckled, "some of you kids might know what I'm talkin' about."

With a blissful sigh, Clyde brought out a picture of Lori from inside his costume and stroked the face with his index finger. _"Yes, Sir" _he thought dreamily, _"I know _exactly _what you mean."_ At that moment, the lovestruck lad was suddenly snapped out of his daze; when Miss Abercrombie began to regale everyone with how they call came to be performers at the faire. "Whenever she'd write to us from America, Fiona would tell us of all the things she experienced in there" she explained, "eventually, wanderlust got the better of us and we've decided to see the place for ourselves."

After this; Gareth explained how the group didn't find many friends, when they first arrived in America. "Many who saw us thought we were 'leeches,' seeking to bleed the country dry" Angus grumbled bitterly, "had we not been reunited with Fiona...we would've retreated back to Scotland forthwith!" Upon seeing him shake bitterly from the bad memories of his past, Haiku approached her uncle and held him close; which he happily welcomed.

After that; she took over the story and told everyone about how her grandparents eventually, got married during her first couple of years in America. "In time, Nanna gave birth to my dad" she explained, "then, he met my mom and...well, you know what came next." Everyone nodded in understanding, happy to hear of the good that came from Ms. McNair's time in the country and urged everyone to continue.

"When my Nanna told everyone about her new job, they didn't have a clue what she was talking about" Haiku giggled, "see...very few in Scotland, at the time, ever heard of Ren Faires before and didn't know what to expect." This bit of information was both informative and interesting, at the same time. As some of the elder Gal Pals recalled; until the late 90's or early 2000's, Ren Faires were more of an American thing.

"Eventually, everyone came to Michigan and they took up jobs with my Nanna and Grandfather here at the faire" Haiku explained, "they've been working with her since the mid-80's." The Gal Pals, Lincoln and the boys gasped in awe at the story; amazed by how long they've remained so dedicated to one profession. But a small thought nagged a bit in Clyde's head.

"How is it that your grandmother is a McNair; yet you, Haiku have a name like Matthews" he asked, "if I may ask, of course." After taking a moment to let the question process, Ms. McNair had a clear idea of what the lad wished to know. "Most women take their lover's family name, after they've married them" she explained, "but I chose to keep mine; thinkin' I'd lose me identity, if I changed it."

This statement caused Mr. Matthews to swoon slightly, proclaiming that he always loved his wife's free-spiritedness. With that matter settled, Clyde thanked the woman accordingly for her reply and bowed graciously. But Ms. McNair insisted that he and his friends shouldn't be too formal around them.

"You're all welcome to call us by our true names or stage names; if'n ya like, Mr. McBride" she stated, "we're all friends here!" Unsurprisingly, being addressed by his family name left Clyde feeling quite surprised. But mostly because of the fact he hadn't told her it yet. When Lincoln asked her how she knew his friend's name, the band simply replied with "a wee black bird told us."

It was here that Haiku revealed that earlier in the year, she would tell her grandmother stories about her newfound friends via video chat; after she and the band finished their rehearsals. "Uh...did you tell her _everything,_ Haiku" Lincoln chuckled nervously, "including...how we first met?" For a moment or so, no one had spoken a word; fearing that doing so would reopen old wounds.

But with a soft yet kind look in her eyes; Ms. McNair revealed that aside from certain...events (such as the Sadie Hawkins disaster,) Haiku would tell her of the time Lincoln and Clyde briefly spent with her within her Junior Morticians Club and how his mother helped lead the Writing Club she loved attending after school. "It warms my heart to know that our lil' Hildy has made such good friends" Mr. Matthews stated, "thank you for that, Mr. Loud." With a bright bucktoothed grin upon his face, Lincoln accepted the man's kind words and bowed his head respectably.

"Haiku isn't the only lucky one in making new friends" he stated, "truth is...had it not been for her and all the girls here with me, this year would've been a disaster." After that, Lincoln directed the music group's attention towards the other Gal Pals; which caused them to stare in utter amazement at their group's size. "I...I cannae believe it" Ms. Abercrombie cried, "when ya told us how many people wished to come to the faire, Hildy...I thought you were lyin'!" Carol giggled at this comment and confessed how she too once felt surprised by their group's numbers.

"I know it seems weird for you that I asked for family passes when half of us aren't even related" Haiku murmured, "but...it's just like you once told me about all the Rennies here; when you've spent enough time with people, they start to _feel_ like family." The band nodded in agreement and commended the Gal Pals on their loving closeness with each other.

At that moment, Ms. McNair suddenly realized how long they've been chatting together and decided to politely cut their conversation short. "So sorry to leave ye like this, laddies and lassies" she chuckled sheepishly, "but we best get movin' while the day is young." Everyone nodded in understanding, rewarded the group for their earlier performance with a twenty dollar bill and bade them farewell.

"Enjoy your day here, everyone" the band shouted out, "and make sure to try the mutton...tis nice and fresh!" With that said, both groups went their separate ways; hoping to cross paths again later. Then, all of a sudden; Whitney stopped walking and quickly called out to Haiku's grandmother.

"MISS MC...I mean...Fiona, wait" she cried, "I've been meaning to ask you something!" Upon hearing the girl's words, Ms. McNair halted her stride and turned to face her. Then, after taking a moment to carefully consider her words; Whitney lightly gestured towards the older woman's hair.

"I'm simply mad about your braids there, Ma'am" she gushed adorably, "where did you get that...I'm hoping to get this poofy hair of mine under control." The Scottish woman cackled heartily at her before announcing the words "join the club" her way. "Ye see, lass; I know what it feels like to possess thick locks" she admitted, "see for yourself."

With that statement; Ms. McNair reached behind her head, undid the ties holding her braids together and then...her hair puffed up in a sudden burst. "WOW" shouted Lincoln in surprise, "I haven't seen hair that curly and puffy since I watched that Scottish princess movie with my little sisters." Ms. McNair chuckled heartily at the lad's comment, revealing that he wasn't the only one to compare her to the princess.

"Locks like these are often common, back in Scotland" she stated, "of course...it would seem that _mine_ are thicker and curlier than most." She then revealed that because the summer season at the faire gets rather warm, she feels it necessary to braid it into a ponytail. "I've tried to do that...many times" Whitney whined, "but no matter what I do, my hair's just too thick to work with!"

After this, the band stood silently for what felt like ages; presumably lost in thought. Then, Mr. Matthews' gestured towards a small hair braiding tent on the east side. "The ladies there have worked on all kinds of hairstyles" he stated, "their collection of herbal shampoos, unique style choices and delicate hands may do the trick for you."

Without a second thought, Whitney made a sudden beeline towards the tent; shocking the rest of her crew. "Whitney, WAIT" cried Dana, "we didn't divide up each others activity schedules yet!" It was too late, the young blonde had already reached the tent and began to situate herself comfortably inside.

The group grumbled softly in mild annoyance, disappointed in their friend's lack of patience. "We'll tell her schedule later, D" Becky sighed, "let's focus on all of _us, _right now." With that said, Haiku sent a message to everyone containing the faire's schedule and a map of the grounds.

"Let's start by picking out what each of us wants to see first, 'kay" Carol instructed, "then, we'll all split up into three groups of five and go about the grounds anywhere we wish." Everyone nodded slightly in agreement and then, they began looking through the itinerary for ideas. "Hold up for a minute" exclaimed Jordan, "when lunchtime comes around, let's all agree to meet at the dining area on the northwest edge of the map here."

After everyone shared a nod with one another, the Gals did a quick "hands in the middle" while cheering "Gal Pals." Not wishing to be left out of the loop, the boys did their own version of the sendoff by high-fiving each other while calling out "Guy Squad" in unison. With that done, everyone went off in separate directions; eager to explore the faire grounds.

But before they strayed too far, Carol and Kat made a quick beeline for the hair-braiding tent; wishing to join Whitney on her treatment.

(Line Break)

As time passed, everyone's stay at the faire proved to be quite eventful. Up on the northern area of the grounds; Stella, Phoebe, Jordan, Paige and Cici were watching a stage show featuring a troupe of acrobats. At one point, they suddenly formed into a human tower; which involved each member having to stand on top the other's shoulders or arms.

While this was going on, Jordan watched in silence while drinking a soft drink through a straw. As one of the remaining troupe members on the stage began climbing up his compatriots' shoulders to the top; she gnawed on the straw with such worry, it came close to breaking off into her mouth.

Finally, the young acrobat had successfully reached the top; thus completing the human tower. Amazed by this, the crowd suddenly burst into a fit of wild applause. But then, the human tower seemed to wobble slightly; quickly silencing the crowd's jubilant mood.

"Oh, crud" Cici murmured worriedly, "someone must have some weak legs." Soon after she said this, the bottom acrobat suddenly stumbled along the stage; all while (surprisingly) keeping his team rooted atop his broad shoulders. Back and forth, the man stumbled; while the men and women standing atop him wobbled slightly.

For almost a minute, the girls watched them intently; praying that no one would get hurt. Then, the crowd erupted into loud cries of horror; as the human tower fell over. But at the very last nano-second, the other acrobats leapt off each other's shoulders.

Afterwards, the burly gent tumbled lightly across the floor while his partners spun about in the air. The crowd then watched in awe, as the burly acrobat ceased tumbling and caught each of his associates in his arms one at a time. As he caught the last of the other acrobats; rather than place her on the floor, he instead lifted her up sideways over his head like a set of weights.

Afterwards, the troupe posed victoriously; causing everyone in the audience to go wild with delight. "Did you all see that" cried Paige shrieked with glee, "there were a few times I really thought the big guy was gonna drop one of 'em!" Stella nodded giddily and expressed her own amazement during the fire hoop jump segment of the performance.

"Dudes, I've got some sweet pics and videos of it all on my phone" Phoebe said with pride, "I even got one of Jordan almost biting her straw in half." Upon hearing this, the young lady in question glowered lightly at her friend and ordered her not to post the picture online. Phoebe gave her a sort of "I would never" expression, "offended" that Jordan would suggest such a thing.

However, everyone had a sinking suspicion she was hiding her crossed fingers within the sleeves of her robe...but chose to keep silent. "Wonder how the others are doing" questioned Cici, "ya think we should call them yet?" After taking a moment to consider the idea, everyone agreed it might be a wise thing to do; just to make sure everyone was okay.

With that, Stella took out her phone and dialed Carol's cell. It rang for about a few seconds until the video screen turned on, revealing the young blonde. _"Greetings, fellow Rennies" _Carol exclaimed happily, _"y'all notice anything new?"_

The four young ladies rolled their eyes playfully but said nothing. The moment she came on screen, everyone could clearly see Carol sporting a sort of halo crown hairstyle. "Ooh! That is just so cute" Jordan gasped with delight, "who did your hair like that?"

In answer to her question, Carol directed her phone towards the hair-braiding tent; where everyone could see the stylists finishing up on Dana's hair. Upon inspection, everyone could see that her hair was braided into a sort of "updo" with a series of small flowers planted into each curl. "EEE! That looks even cuter" Stella squealed, "but...what about Whitney, were they able to work with _her _hair?"

The moment this question was presented; Becky, who was sitting on a nearby chair and sporting a sort of fishtail look, pointed towards the working area. There, everyone could see one stylist rubbing some sort of fluid onto Whitney's poof. Meanwhile, the assistant was in the midst of massaging her fingers and palms; which appeared to be moderately sore.

_"As you can see, Whit needed some...extra help"_ Carol said matter-of-factly, _"had it not been for the herbal shampoos they had here...these two ladies would've called it quits long ago." _Feeling curious, the young gals asked how the shampoos helped the situation. _"Apparently, they make their shampoos and soaps here from scratch"_ Dana replied, "_which work_s incredibly _well on hair, as you can see."_

After this, she mentioned how she and her crew planned on purchasing a bottle for each Gal Pal. "I dunno if Haiku would go for that kind of thing" giggled Cristina, "speaking of which...I wonder where she went off to."

(Quick Cut: Eastern Side of the Faire)

In another area of the grounds, Haiku is seen exploring the walk-thru Dungeon/Torture Chamber Museum; all while writing down poetic pieces on the different devices. As she began studying observing a life-sized replica of the torture rack, the wee Goth frowned slightly, "Sigh. These are very authentic looking replicas" she murmured, "but they aren't as nice as the real thing."

(Back to the Group)

After agreeing to touch base with Haiku later, Jordan pressed Lincoln's number on her cell; hoping to hear that he and the boys are having a good time as well. When his face appeared, the young Loud boy waved at the Gals happily. _"Hey, gang"_ he stated, "_get this...you will not_ believe _who I found working the grounds!"_

Before anyone could speak up, Lincoln's video screen moved around a bit until he pointed it towards a purple tent near where he stood. At first, nobody understood what he was trying to show them. But when Lincoln zoomed his camera in closer, everyone could see that the tent was for a fortune teller.

Just as Carol was about to question him on what he was trying to show them all, Lincoln asked everyone to take a good look at the gypsy at the table. Once Lincoln ceased zooming in his camera, everyone caught a glimpse of a young lady with black hair and a purple turban atop her head. The girl's most notable feature was that of her bangs...which seemed to cover up her eyes completely.

"What the...OMG! Am I seeing things" cried Phoebe, "that looks like it could be Linc's sister, Lucy." Lincoln nodded slowly at his friend's reply, proclaiming that it truly _was_ Lucy telling fortunes. "Why is she here" questioned Paige, "I thought she and her family had Community Service today?"

At first, Lincoln thought about going over and asking her for himself. But the line appeared quite long, which meant he'd have to spend hours waiting to reach her. _"I'll get the 411 from her later"_ Lincoln stated, _"right now, me and the guys are off to see the sword-swallower show...if Clyde agrees."_ No sooner had he said that; the young McBride boy popped up and said that as long as he had his breathing bag, he'll be fine.

"Thanks for the head's up, boys" Carol called out, "we'll see you all in an hour." With that, all the chat windows shut off and everyone began looking over the schedule for the next show they wished to see. "Alrighty...there's a jester show happening soon" murmured Stella, "you guys want to see that or go browse the shops a little?"

Almost instantly, Jordan went with the latter option; thinking she still needed to catch her breath from the acrobats' wild theatrics. "I vote for that too" Cristina interjected, "I wanna see what kind of crafts the shopkeepers have here before we leave." With that said, everyone came into an agreement and made their way up to the "market area" of the grounds.

(Line Break)

Once the Sword-Swallowing performance came to an end, sometime later; the boys were making their way to their next activity...which Rusty didn't seem quite excited about. "Come _on_, guys" he whined, "let's go to the fire eater show, the combat arena...or heck, even the show with the hammered dulcimer player sounds better than where we're going!" Alas, the ginger-haired lad's words fell on deaf ears; which made him feel all the more downcast.

After listening to their friend's whining for almost a minute, Liam ceased running and glared over his shoulder at him. "C'mon, pardner" the farm boy groaned, "Lincoln promises this Chess Match will be a bigger hootnanny than New Year's." At first, Rusty felt the urge to dismiss his bestie's claims of a chess match being "fun."

But in the end, he held his tongue; deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt and resumed following Lincoln's lead. Finally, the boys had reached their destination; a large wooden chessboard situated in the middle of a grassy field. You may wonder what purpose a board of such a size would serve.

Well, this is where the boys and all other patrons of the faire would bear witness to a Chess Match...a _Human _Chess Match, that is. On both sides of the board, Rusty could see the black and the white "pieces" on the board dressed in the most peculiar of costumes. While there were familiar figures like knights, kings, queens and even bishops present; there were two groups only Lincoln and Zach seemed to recognize.

One was a group of odd-looking soldiers with roundish helmets and spears in their hands. The other group consisted of two pairs of armored warriors carrying life-sized shields in one hand and flails in the other. The strangest thing about them was the fact that both of their helmets were in the shape of a small tower.

"What the...what kind of Chess game is _this_" questioned Rusty, "where are all the pieces...and why are these people dressed like that?" With a coy smile upon his lips, Lincoln turned towards his friend and asked if anything seemed familiar about the players on the board. "Think hard, dude" Clyde urged, "do you remember seeing these kind of guys from somewhere before?"

At first, Rusty didn't understand what his friends were hinting at. Realizing that he wasn't getting through to his friend, Lincoln reached into his backpack and pulled out a comic; specifically an issue from the Checkmate series of Ace Savvy stories he submitted. That was when Lincoln showed Rusty a splash page of the group known as the Chess Court.

The moment he saw these characters, everything finally started to connect with him. "Hold up...did you seriously get the idea for the Court from these guys" he asked feeling utterly befuddled, "Chess has to be one of the three most boring games in the world, next to Bingo and Golf." Upon hearing this, Zach told his friend that this Chess match would be much different than the ones he'd seen before.

Just then, the trumpeters sounded off the fanfare loudly and someone dressed in royal garments stepped out onto the board. "The battle of Chess shall commence soon" he proclaimed, "the victor shall be determined by whosoever can claim the opposite side's king or by proclaiming 'Checkmate.'" After these instructions were presented, both sides nodded slightly in understanding and the game went underway.

At first, the game moved slowly with the rooks and bishops moving only a few squares ahead. "UGH! You guys said this was gonna be fun" Rusty groaned bitterly, "but this is even more of a snore-fest than regular Chess!" Zach facepalmed himself in annoyance and was prepared to lecture his friend on his lack of patience.

But then, Lincoln intervened and directed everyone's attention back towards the board. "Watch this, Rusty" he chuckled while wringing his hands together, "once the White Bishop crosses paths with the Black Rook...the fun _really_ begins." As if on cue, the two aforementioned "pieces" on the board did just as Lincoln predicted and the trumpeters began sounding off their fanfare once more.

Afterwards, the fancy gentleman called for the board to be cleared; which signaled all the other "pieces" to flee into the sidelines. "Wait...what the heck is goin' on" murmured Rusty, "is the game over already?" The four other boys shook their collective heads slightly and said that the "real game" was just beginning.

Before anything else could be said, the skies suddenly echoed with sounds of shouting and weapons striking against one another. Rusty looked on in awe, as the White Bishop swatted viciously at the Black Rook with his sword. But with every blow he delivered, the rook simply blocked it with his staff.

"What the what-ing _what_ is going on" Rusty cried in confusion, "what kinda Chess game is _this?!_" While still bouncing with glee, Lincoln did his best to explain how one side loses its "piece" in Human Chess. "Long story short; when both cross paths with each other, the board is cleared and the two 'pieces' duel each other until the opposing side loses" he stated, "pretty cool, huh?"

While the explanation did very little to help ease his confusion, one thing was certain; Human Chess was the coolest thing Rusty had seen yet.

(Scene Change; the Picnic Grounds)

Sometime after the Chess Match had ended, the boys reconvened with the ladies up at the picnic area for lunch. There, they brought each other up to speed on what they've seen and did thus far. "And then, the Black Rook looked like he was gonna slam one of the White Knights across the board with his flail" Rusty said while stabbing his fork into his bread bowl, "until the knight leapt out of the way and sweep-kicked his legs!"

The Gals, young and old, laughed merrily at Rusty's story; pleased that their fraction of events at the faire were all going well. "The rest of us have been having loads of fun too" Kat stated, "earlier, I came across a shop that had the coolest looking handmade bags for sale!" Soon after she said this, the preteen revealed a hand-stitched cloth bag with multicolored threads sewn on the rim of the flap and a medieval Irish crest situated in the middle.

"That _is _a cute bag, Kat" Jordan complimented, "but it's so small...what could you possibly hold in it?" With a sly grin upon her face, the young preteen untied the flap on her bag to reveal the only item big enough to fit inside it; her cellphone. "That's a pretty practical bag" Lincoln commented, "makes me think I should get one for Leni or Lori, while I'm here."

After that, all was quiet for a moment or two; as the gang continued eating their lunchtime treats. Then, Clyde suddenly decided to ask Haiku a rather personal question. "Earlier, your Great-Uncle asked if you 'still dabbled in dark forces' like your grandmother" he inquired, "was he referring to you being Goth or...something else?"

Haiku nodded silently in understanding, sipped at her pepper stew from her bread bowl and said "back in Scotland, my Nanna was known for believing in the supernatural...or rather, the mythical." Now, this revelation sounded utterly preposterous; the idea of mythological creatures was rather...eccentric. "Back in Scotland, my Nanna's parents were followers of what's known today as 'Druidism'" Haiku explained, "which is a sort of nature worship faith."

From there; she added that like most druids, people like her Nanna and great-grandparents believed that life existed everywhere...even within nature. "My Nanna believed that anytime someone disrupted the 'balance of nature,' they would anger the spirits that watched over it" she stated, "things like Banshees, Brownies and the 'wee people...' otherwise known as Faeries." Now, as an aspiring ghost hunter; Lincoln was quite familiar with the wailing spirit known as the Banshee.

But when he heard the world Brownies, the boy's mind immediately thought of a familiar chocolaty pastry. As if sensing this, somehow; Haiku said that a _mythical_ Brownie was actually a helpful spirit/faerie who would attend to household tasks for humans while they slept. "They're known to be very friendly" she stated, "just make sure you reward them for their work with stuff like honey or fresh porridge, otherwise...something nasty will happen."

Upon hearing this, Rusty scoffed lightly at his friend's warning before asking what a "shrimpy fairy" could do to a big guy like him. "You won't be saying that, once some of your stuff's been stolen or if your house gets wrecked and you get the blame" Haiku murmured slyly, "because that's what happens when you anger a Brownie." All around her, the young Goth could see her friends staring at her either in disbelief or confusion (or perhaps, both.)

"See...when a Brownie gets mad, they turn into ugly creatures called Boggarts" Haiku explained, "they're v_ery_ malicious creatures and are known for pranking their human hosts." She then added that the best way to calm a Boggart and return him to normal was with honey.

"That's wild...and you're telling us your grandmother still believes in that stuff now" questioned Zach, "kinda reminds me of my love of aliens." Haiku couldn't help but giggle at this, proclaiming that wild minds _do_ tended to think alike. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group; Lincoln seemed to be staring out into space while they all talked amongst themselves.

In reality however, his mind kept on thinking about him possibly spotting Lucy earlier. _"Wonder why she's here" _he thought mentally, _"for that matter, are any of my other sisters here with her and do Mom and Dad know about it?"_ Before he could think more on it, Lincoln felt a sudden chill jolt through him; causing him to yet out a surprised yelp.

Upon recovering; he turned to the side to find Dana beside him, giggling with two medieval-style drinking goblets in her hands. "Sorry for the sudden surprise, Linky" she said apologetically, "but you looked a little piqued and I thought you could use a drink." Lincoln stared silently up at his friend, smiled and happily accepted one of the two cups from her.

"Sorry for spacing out like that" he murmured sheepishly, "it's just...could it really have been Lucy I saw earlier or was I just seeing things?" In addition to this inquiry, Lincoln pondered on why one of or (possibly) any of his other sisters were doing at the faire. _"Don't you worry, _chamaco_" _a voice suddenly said from close by, _"your sisters won't be causing any trouble here...at least, not while _we're _on duty__."_

Poor Lincoln came close to choking on his soup in surprise, upon hearing this voice. After calming down; he turned to see the familiar figures of Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos sitting at another picnic table near theirs. "What the...Officers, what are you all doing here" Carol asked confusedly, "I thought you'd be back at the station or watching over the rest of the Louds."

After sharing a hearty laugh, the policewomen told Carol that they were there on a bit of business _and_ pleasure. "Okay, I can already see where you're going with the pleasure part" Clyde stated, "but what sort of business assignment could three officers have here?" After taking a nibble of some steak on a "stake," Officer Higgins said that they were tasked to work as part of the faire's security team.

"There are two reasons why the chief gave us this assignment" Campos interjected, "the first reason is to keep watch over Lincoln's family while they performed their Community Service here." To say that this news surprised Lincoln would be rather obvious. "Thing is, sug...after several days of litter clean up, helping out at retail stores and cleanin' up the area where Luan did her 'Paint the Town Red' prank; they needed a lil' break" Higgins explained, "so, we talked the mayor into sending Linc's family here for Community Service...promising that we'd watch over them while they worked."

It was then that the officers revealed all the positions the Louds were given. Aside from Lucy working as the fortune teller; there was Lana managing the petting zoo, Leni assisting the dressmakers, Lynn Sr. helping make some of the food and of course, Luna volunteering as a bard. While the explanation did make sense, everyone felt bad that the three officers had to babysit the Louds while the faire was happening.

"No, we told you; this is a business _and_ pleasure trip for us" Officer Campos retorted, "I mean...if we're going to be working here, we're entitled to a lil' fun...eh?" Everyone laughed heartily at the officer's jest for a few moments and then, the three ladies suddenly became grim.

"Then there's the other reason we're here, y'all" Simmons stated matter-of-factly, "tell me, did you happen to see anyone...unusual here?" Naturally, this question seemed utterly bizarre, considering the environment they were all in. All around the grounds, there were plenty of "unusual" people to be seen.

"What she means is...did you see anyone out of the ordinary" Higgins inquired, "anyone that was _really _dressed up in a sort of costume but didn't feel like one of the performers?" Again, the kids collectively felt confused by the question. Regardless, they still answered her with either shakes of the head or soft and simple "no's."

"Is there any reason why you're looking for such a person" inquired Zach, "I mean, I know it's police business but still..." With a soft smile on her lips, Officer Higgins raised her hand; causing the young man to stop. Then, she started looking side-to-side; as if making sure no one was listening in.

When the coast seemed clear, Higgins signaled for everyone to lean in as close as they could. "Sorry for the secrecy, kids...but what we're about to tell you is _huge_ stuff" she whispered, "that means it doesn't get repeated to _anyone_ else except us, unless we say otherwise...okay?" While still rather concerned about all the secrecy and whispering, the kids still responded appropriately with silent nods.

"Okay...The main reason for all this is because we can't tell who to trust here" Higgins whispered, "see, HQ believes there's a thief hiding in plain sight here at the faire and they plan on making some sort of big heist while everyone here is distracted." Upon hearing this news, it felt as though all time had frozen still. But then, Lincoln and some of the Gals started to wonder if the officers were playing a bit of a joke on them.

"We're quite serious about this, chamaco" Officer Campos said firmly, "somewhere in this faire, there's a real thief and if someone doesn't stop them...something bad might happen."

(First AN: DUN, DUN, DUUUN! Talk about a real bombshell, eh and what a perfect place for a criminal to hide out in. But what reason could've brought such a person here and will his or her presence hinder the gangs' trip to the faire? Tune in next time for Part Two of Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals)

(Second AN: As you could see, there were two sets of song lyrics used here. The first one where Lincoln and the boys sing "little bow and arrow" comes from the Popeye short Robin Hoodwinked. Such a melody is under the full property of Famous Studios and the creator of Popeye.

However; The Barley Mow, the second song to be used in this, is a traditional folk song. As such, it is public domain and while I do not own it; the song is not under any form of copyright. Either way, I hope that no one punishes me for using the lyrics for both melodies here)

(Third AN: Fiona McNair and her troupe of performers are of my own creation and are not affiliated with the Loud House series itself. The idea of Fiona being related to Haiku was suggested to me by crafordbrian17, which I actually found quite interesting to use)

(Fourth AN: Human Chess Matches are a common thing at most Ren Faires in America. But while most real world matches don't have the performers dress up in costumes based on their assigned pieces. For this story, such an idea _is _implemented. It's also meant to be a light reference to my Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Checkmate story as well.)

(Fifth AN: While Phoebe going to the faire dressed as a male Renaissance artist may seem "odd" to some of you. Bear in mind that I've seen stranger costumes within _my_ Ren Faire alone, such as someone dressed in a giant Pikachu outfit.)

(Sixth AN: While the Mystic Wood of Avilar book title is purely made up by me. The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy however, is something found within the Simpsons' episode titled The Book Job)

(Final AN: The flashback scene where Lincoln and the boys are seen trying to be winning callers for the faire tickets is lightly based off a scene from Rocko's Modern Life, specifically from the episode "Friends like These.")


	7. Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals Pt 2

Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals – Part Two

(Story Summary: Continuing directly after Part One; the gang continues to go about their day at the faire, despite learning that a criminal is hiding within the grounds. What is this felon's purpose here, why would he/she come to a Ren Faire and most importantly, how will this affect everyone's plans?)

Sometime after lunch, the Gals and Guys continued the rest of their day at the faire. But the whole time they were exploring, their minds kept looking back on their conversation with the officers just moments ago.

(Minutes Earlier)

_After taking a moment to collect themselves from the officers' news, Carol asked them if there was anything else they could share. "It goes without saying that there's a lot of valuable stuff to steal from a place like this" Simmons replied, "but there's one particular item the crook may have higher interest in." After this, she questioned everyone on whether or not they heard of the Costume Contest that was being planned that afternoon?_

_ "Yeah" cried Phoebe, "I think I saw something in the program about it, while me and my group were waiting for the Acrobats show to start." The others echoed the same response, which seemed to please the trio of officers greatly. "Wait...what does this have to do with a crook hiding out in the grounds" questioned Whitney, "unless...do you think they could be hiding amongst the participants?"_

_ Campos gave the young lady a sullen nod, while also adding that such a situation could provide excellent cover for him. "Now...on to the main point of our story" she whispered, "under the ad about the contest, did any of you catch anything interesting about it?" Curious as to where this was all leading to, Lincoln decided to take a peek at the ad in question._

_ When he found it, he saw a notice regarding on what the winner would receive. "According to this, whoever wins would be named King or Queen of the Faire" Lincoln said while reading the page, "it also says that the person crowned would receive something called...the Golden Scepter." This bit of news perked everyone's curiosity and they began to ask if this scepter was real gold or just simply gold-plated like a pageant winner's scepter? _

_ Almost immediately, Simmons answered with the latter option; assuring everyone that the faire staff wouldn't be so foolish as to have a golden anything in their possession. "So, if it's not really gold...why try to steal it" questioned Paige, "gold plated stuff isn't really worth all that much, right?" The officers nodded in unison and told her she was correct in her assumption on such items. _

_ "That being said however, the scepter was handmade by some of Michigan's finest craftsmen" explained Officer Higgins, "as such; while the plating doesn't make the scepter all that valuable, it's the jewels on the pommel that are what's most important." She then explained how, in spite of them being artificially created, the scepter's gems were near identical to the real thing. "There's also the possibility that the crook could use it as leverage" Zach interjected, "you know...force every one of the merchants trade the money they've collected for it."_

_ While the young man's statement didn't help make the situation feel any less stressful, there was no denying the truth behind it. "We can't let that happen" Campos said firmly, "the faire was planning on donating half of their funds to charity at the end of the season." This bit of news shook everyone to their collective cores._

_ Possibly stealing this scepter was bad enough. But forcing all the vendors to hand over their money in exchange for it was lower than low. But then, a grim thought suddenly struck Haiku; one that made the whole situation seem even worse than it already was. "Guys, I just realized something" she murmured, "if this criminal gets away with either the scepter _or_ any of the money...my grandmother could lose her job!"_

_ Now, the Gals and the Boys were all at an emotional crossroads; upon hearing this news. On one hand; anybody losing their job, regardless of profession, was a bad thing. But on the other hand, some of them thought the idea of a band losing their position as entertainers here wasn't quite that severe._

_ "My Nanna is more than just a dancer for her band, everyone" she said bluntly, "she...she's also the operator; which makes her sort of like the manager." The moment this reveal was presented, everyone either came close to choking on their food/beverages or falling out of their seats in shock. Upon recovering, Lincoln stared at her dumbly; like a stag caught in the headlights._

_ "Sorry, Haiku" he chuckled softly, "but...could you speak into my_ good ear_, I thought I heard you say your grandmother operates this place?" Everyone else murmured similar statements of confusion, wondering if they too heard her correctly. "Look at me, everyone" she murmured, "does _this_ look like the face of a joker to you?"_

_ Both groups did just that and, while she was currently in costume, she still managed to keep up her cool Gothic demeanor with ease. This signaled to everyone that their friend was quite serious in her words._

_ "Now...to be clear; my Nanna doesn't _own _the faire" she said matter-of-factly, "she simply helps makes sure things are running smoothly while also providing some entertainment for the patrons." She then explained how she had become the operator in the late 80's and had held that position for almost three decades. "If anything happens to that scepter, she could be in big trouble" Higgins said while shaking her head sadly, "that's why we need y'all to help us."_

_ While the kids were all more than willing to help, they all questioned what _they_ could do in this situation. "Just go about your faire day like natural" whispered Campos, "at the same time; every once in a while, keep your eyes peeled for anyone suspicious." Upon hearing this, Carol said that such a tip didn't quite make their "mission" any clearer._

_ "She's right, Ma'am" Clyde interjected, "is there anything specific about this guy we should keep a lookout for; like piercings, tattoos etc.?" Upon taking the boy's inquiry to heart, Higgins mentioned one specific clue that would make this crook stand out above everyone else; a small tattoo on the back of his neck. "It'll be in the shape of a black crescent moon" she stated, "if you see anyone who has this on them, tell somebody."_

_ The Gals, Lincoln and the boys all nodded in understanding; while also groaning with annoyance on the inside. Just when things were starting out so well for them, Fate came along and threw a monkey wrench into their plans. Somehow, the three officers could sense their discomfort and smiled at them sympathetically._

_ "Chin up, guys" Simmons stated, "don't let this news stop y'all from having a good time at the faire." Higgins seconded her colleague's words and encouraged everyone to keep going about their day like normal. "Go out there, have fun" she insisted, "just make sure to immediately notify someone, if you come across anybody who doesn't belong here."_

_ On that note, Campos added that the kids should also keep watch for anyone who was wearing suspicious outfits/attire. "If you see anyone carrying strange looking backpacks, wearing heavy trench coats or if they even have a scarf around their necks; give us a call" she instructed, "we will notify the other security teams afterwards." The kids all nodded in understanding and thanked the officers for their warnings, before the trio went off on their way._

_ After that, the gang returned to eating up the rest of their lunches. But while they ate, some of them couldn't help but feel just a little tense. "Don't get me wrong, y'all; I _do _wanna help our friends" Liam said suddenly, "but is it really our place to get wrapped up in police business?"_

_ At first, Jordan was poised to scold her friend for making such a suggestion; believing he was being cowardly or selfish. But then, the rest of the boys all voiced similar concerns; as did the other Gal Pals. "I mean...we're all just kids and teens" Clyde murmured worriedly, "keeping watch for a criminal is police business...isn't it?"_

_ Upon sensing the ever-growing worry amongst her friends, Haiku let out a soft sigh and quickly called for their attention. "Remember, guys" she began, "the officers just want us to keep watch for this guy...they aren't expecting us to _catch him _or_ fight him._" Everyone nodded slightly in agreement, realizing the truth behind the wee Goth's words._

_ "Maybe so, Haiku" Cristina said matter-of-factly, "but how can we keep watch for some random person _and _enjoy ourselves at the same time?" For a moment or so, Haiku did not respond; as she was busy thinking of an idea while mildly playing with her food. "If we go about looking around at everyone around us, it might make the crook think we're onto him" Lincoln said suddenly, "so...the best thing we can do is act natural, just like Ms. Higgins and Simmons said."_

_ Everyone nodded in agreement and decided to go about their day like they did earlier. But as a minor change in plans; Carol appointed herself and Becky as the heads of _their _group (calling themselves Group One,) while making Whitney and Dana the heads of Jordan's group (Group Two.) As her final order, she named Phoebe and Cici the heads of Lincoln's guy group (Group Three.)_

_ "As those of us gals who are in the 'middle ground' in terms of age; I'm counting on _you two _to help watch the boys' backs" Carol ordered, "should anyone try to come at you all." With a mild pout on his face, Rusty proclaimed that he and the boys were "tough enough" to look after themselves. "Not _all _of us are quite that tough, Rusty" Clyde said in rebuttal, "besides, we promised my dads we wouldn't get into any trouble."_

_ At first, Rusty was prepared to say that trying to help catch a criminal wasn't really them "getting into trouble." But Lincoln quickly interjected in saying that because they didn't know too much about this person, attempting to approach him could be dangerous. "Don't worry, dudes" Cici said confidently, "we'll take down anyone who looks at you funny...unless they're part of the staff."_

_ As if on cue, everyone suddenly heard their phones go off; signaling that a message was incoming. Upon turning them all on, they saw that it was a text from Officer Higgins. _"There's one last thing we forgot to mention earlier, y'all" _the message read, _"another good way to find this crook out is by seeing whether or not he/she has any bands or pins on."

_Before anyone could question the meaning behind her words, they saw something appear beneath the officer's message; a picture showing a plastic wristband beneath her hand. Upon closer inspection, they saw that this band was labeled "Security Staff." After that; another message soon appeared saying that the security team, the vendors and performers all wore pins or bands like this on them to help tell each other apart from the patrons._

_ With a smile on her face, Carol sent a quick text to the officers; thanking them for this tidbit. "You heard 'em, Gang" she declared, "if you see someone dressed suspiciously in any way and if they _don't _have any proper identification on them, this could be our guy." After that, she encouraged everyone to continue having fun and stay as vigilant as they can while doing so._

_ With that said; everyone high-fived each other, said their goodbyes and went off to enjoy the rest of their faire day. But as she went off with her group, Haiku suddenly felt a cold chill run through her...and not in the way she liked. _"Don't worry, Nanna" _she thought to herself, _"this creep won't put your job or any of these people in danger, as long as my friends and I are here."

(Cut back to the present; the Sword-Swallower stage)

The crowd gasped in alarm, as the performer slowly eased a blade down his throat; one that measured the length of his forearm. Among those present in the audience who appeared shocked but _highly_ invested was Jordan's group (consisting of herself, Stella, Haiku and Paige.) Meanwhile, Dana and Whitney found it rather difficult to watch the performance _and _keep their earlier meals down at the same time.

Just then, the performer drew out two more swords and proceeded to gently slide them down his throat; which made the girls tense up even more. Finally, once the third blade was in; he proceeded to gently yet gracefully bow to the crowd. After taking a moment to collect themselves, the crowd sounded off in satisfied applause.

"Thank you, Lords and Ladies" said the sword-swallower's assistant, "now...I wish to have a volunteer from the audience to come help remove the blades from my associate's gullet." For a moment or two, she silently scanned the crowd for anyone she felt worthy to aide her. Then, her gaze suddenly fell upon Dana; who was doing her best to not Ralph on the person standing in front of her.

"Young lady, wouldst you be so kind as to help me" inquired the assistant, "I'd perform the duty meself...but this lout here claims my hands aren't gentle enough for the task." At first, Dana refused to move from her spot; proclaiming she was no gentler than the performer on stage.

But then, she could hear the crowd clapping rhythmically while chanting the word "go" in unison. At the same time, her friends were all giggling like mad; while also urging her to accept the summons. "C'mon, D" begged Stella, "one should never miss out on a chance to be up on stage!"

After a couple more seconds of encouragement from everyone, Dana finally relented and made her way onto the stage. "Thank ye for your help, milady" said the assistant gratefully, "now...gently draw out the blades one by one." Before continuing on, Dana took a few cleansing breaths; hoping that it would all ease her nervousness.

Mind you, she wasn't scared of being in front of everyone. Rather, she detested having to pull a sword out of someone else's mouth; it all felt "yicky" to her. Finally, after one final deep breath; Dana grabbed hold of the first sword's hilt and slowly drew it out of his mouth. The whole time this was going on, Whitney and Jordan were recording the whole thing on video or taking pictures of the whole performance.

Once the sword was out, Dana quickly handed it to the assistant and started waving her hands fearfully; all while murmuring "ew, ew, ew" under her breath. This happened again after she drew out the second one, seconds later; same with the third. Then, when the time came for the final one to be pulled out; the sword-swallower's face suddenly contorted into an odd look.

This led poor Dana to suddenly quiver fearfully; thinking she might've hurt him, somehow. But the assistant urged her to keep going for just seven more seconds. Slowly but surely, Dana did just that until the blade was completely out of the man's mouth.

Then, without warning; the man turned around with a start and...he sneezed. Mind you, this was a rather loud one; not a teeny kittens "ka-choo" sound. Regardless; the moment it happened, both Dana and the crowd groaned loudly with relief. "There ya go again, ya silly sod" said the assistant to the sword-swallower, "you got the wee lass scared out of her wits."

Upon realizing her behavior, Dana shook her head vigorously and assured the duo she was fine. "I'm just...new at this sort of thing" she murmured, "no harm done." The sword-swallower smiled warmly at her and confessed that his line of work wasn't for everybody. "Ye gotta have the stomach to take the kind of risks I do" he chuckled while patting his belly, "and I mean that both figuratively _and_ literally."

Dana offered the man a soft yet hearty chuckle before the two performers asked her to take a bow. Upon facing the crowd; she could see every man, woman and child going nuts for her; even her friends. With a soft smile upon her face, the young teen curtsied graciously at the crowd and thanked them for their adulation.

While bowing, she took brief pauses to have a brief look over the crowd. Three times over, she curtsied to everyone and three times over, she looked over every face before her. But much to her dismay, there didn't seem to be anything amiss.

There wasn't even the slightest glimpse of someone who was too overly dressed to be seen as a costumed patron. _"Guess it's all clear here" _Dana thought to herself, _"maybe we'll spot him somewhere else in the faire."_ After leaving the stage, she made a quick beeline back to her friends; who proceeded to shower her with many questions and an equal amount of praise.

"OMG! Girl, you really held yourself together up there" Whitney said with glee, "I really thought you were going to lose it before you got to the third sword." No sooner had her friend said all this, Dana's stomach suddenly gurgled and her face turned a deep green. Before anyone could ask if she was okay, Dana rushed over to a nearby garbage bin and immediately vomited inside of it.

No one, not even the girls, said a word while she did this. Then, twenty seconds later; Dana made her way back to the group and gave them a thumbs up and a weak smile. "Sorry, gang" she murmured, "that was the end result of me trying to keep myself together while helping out the performer."

Stella smiled warmly at the teen and handed her a napkin from her bag, which Dana immediately used to clean off her mouth with. "It's cool, D; we understand" chuckled Whitney, "I'd do the same thing, if _I _were the one pulling swords out of somebody's mouth." A minute later, Dana's mouth was now all clean and everyone was ready to leave.

"Just to let you know, gals; I saw no signs of that crook in the crowd" she whispered with a slight frown, "y'all have any luck?" Without hesitation, the group shook their heads in sad unison; proclaiming no one appeared too out of the ordinary. "On the lighter side, I _did_ get a good video of you pulling out the swords" murmured Haiku, "I can't wait to show the others."

While Dana dreaded the idea of Carol or any of the others seeing her almost lose her cool on stage. At the same time, she hoped and prayed _they_ were having better luck than she and her group had in finding the criminal.

(Scene Change: The Mud Pit)

In another area of the faire, Cici and Phoebe were seated alongside Lincoln's group (Group 2;) who were all watching the jolly antics of the three performers splashing about in the makeshift mud pit. "I can't believe big city actors get paid to roll 'round in mud several times a day" Liam chuckled, "makes _me_ wanna think about joinin' 'em, when I'm old enough." Cici rolled her eyes slightly and murmured how "unbelievable" it was to hear someone actually want to jump in mud for a living.

"It's actually not all that bad" Clyde stated, "mud actually helps soothe sunburn, poison ivy and mild to moderate acne." As expected, both the two ladies and the boys (sans Lincoln) gawked at him in astonishment. "Okay, dude" murmured Rusty, "first of all...eww with the info dump and second, are you serious or are you just messing with us?"

Clyde shook his head confidently and told everyone that he learned all this from Lincoln, who had histories of doing Mud Mask Treatments with Lori at home. "It's no wonder you like going to the spa with us so much, dude" Phoebe gasped, "but seriously...is all that info Clyde said for real?" Without missing a beat, Lincoln said that every word of it was the honest truth.

"I've seen the results myself after Lori put on a mud mask after her last...mild break out" he said while whispering the last three words, "but don't tell her I mentioned anything...okay?" The girls smiled at him while performing a sort of lip-zipping gesture, which meant they wouldn't tell her anything. The boys meanwhile, had yet to say or do anything; which made Lincoln feel concerned.

"C'mon, guys" Cici said insistently, "you wouldn't rat your best bud out, would you?" The moment she said this, Clyde immediately assured her they would never do such a thing. "But the thing is...Lori can be pretty terrifying" Rusty murmured fearfully, "even before all the stuff happened last Spring!"

The other boys nodded in unison, recalling all the times they've seen Lori Loud show off her anger; either at _them_ or someone/something else. "Ah, don't worry about her" Cici said reassuringly, "you're with _us_ and even _if _Lori tries to mess with you...she'll have to deal with the Queen's Guard." Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little at her words, understanding they were referring to both the knights at the faire and the security team.

The rest of the boys also took comfort in their lady friend's words and soon found themselves becoming more at ease. "Besides, we need to keep watch for this crook Officer Higgins told about" Cici stated, "they might be a bigger issue than any of your sisters, Linc." With that statement, Lincoln's earlier fears were brushed aside and replaced with a mild feeling of heroic vigilance.

_"She's right, I can't afford to let my family distract me" _he thought to himself, _"I may only be in costume but today...I am Robin Hood and I need to protect those around me."_ Before he could think anymore on it, one of the mud wrestlers performed a weird pratfall and fell into the mud; splattering it on anyone seated in the first three rows of benches. Afterwards, the crowd roared loudly with sounds of cheering and laughter, even those who were caught within the "Splash Zone."

Unfortunately; Cici, Phoebe and all the boys were also among those in said zone. But in spite of it, they didn't seem to mind it. "YEE-HAW" cried Liam with joy, "just like 'rasslin' Virginia back on the farm!"

While the ladies weren't quite so keen on the pig wrestling idea, they still laughed giddily; thinking that them being caught under the mud was like being part of the show. Then, at that moment; Lincoln took a glimpse over in the mud pit and saw a surprising sight. Standing in the mud amongst the wrestlers was none other than Lana, who appeared to be having the time of her life.

_"Huh, guess her shift at the petting zoo is over for now" _Lincoln thought with a smile, _"nice to know that _she's_ having a good time here too."_ With that thought in mind, he considered the idea of checking on Lana and his other sisters during his stay; should he cross any of their paths. Just then, Lincoln caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd at the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, the crowd was so thick and the person moved so quickly that he couldn't get a full view on them. But in the brief moment he _did _see him, he could've sworn that the person was wearing a thick coat of some kind. Said coat had a rather big collar around the figure's neck, which made Lincoln feel all the more suspicious_. _

_ "Nah...I might've been seeing things" _he thought with a light shoulder shrug, _"still...I should let everyone know about this, once we've all regrouped."_

(Scene Change: The Fountain Area)

As we briefly leave Lincoln and his group behind for the moment; we join Group Three of the gang, whose leader could seen dancing with a trio of belly dancers by a majestic marble fountain. Becky couldn't help but smile, as Carol dance and swayed along to the music. Meanwhile, Cristina laughed and clapped along to the music; while Kat recorded the entire dance performance on her phone.

"Wow, she is good" she said while in awe at Carol's dancing skills, "has she ever done this sort of dancing style before?" Becky turned her attention towards her friend and shook her head no in reply, claiming this was Carol's first time dancing this way. "It must be the music" Cristina surmised, "something about these kinds of tunes just...takes over you, you know what I mean?"

The others happily agreed with their friend's explanation, proclaiming that the music truly was infectious. "I'm just glad the boys aren't here, to tell you the truth" Kat chuckled, "if they were...they'd go gaga over these gals." This statement caused everyone to break out into a fit of laughter.

Just then, the music's tempo began to intensify; which signaled the dancers (including Carol) to dance faster. With a broad smile across her face, Becky pulled out her camera-phone and prepared to take a shot; declaring this moment to be perfect for a photo op. For several seconds, she steadied herself; making sure the angle of her camera was exactly on point.

Then, just as she was mere seconds away from taking the picture; someone suddenly pushed Becky to the ground. Before she fell however; her thumb pressed down on the camera icon on the screen, snapping a photo of the figure in the process. Carol caught sight of this, thanked the performers for letting her join their dance and rushed to Becky's side.

"Are you okay" she asked while helping her friend up, "the nerve of that creep, the least they could've done was say excuse me!" Becky smiled at her bestie and said that aside from a little dirt on her outfit, she was okay. Everyone smiled slightly with relief, despite their earlier disdain towards the rude patron's earlier actions.

Just then, Becky's smile faded; as a sudden chill of realization washed over. "Oh, jeez...MY PHONE" she cried, "I think I dropped it when that jerk knocked me over." Upon hearing this, everyone began searching the area around them; hoping that the phone hadn't either cracked on the pavement or that anyone hadn't accidentally stepped on it while leaving the area.

Thankfully, mere seconds after this realization, Haiku was able to spot the phone and it appeared to be undamaged. Just as the young Goth reached down to pick up the phone, she caught a glimpse of the snapshot on the screen. _"Okay...this is weird"_ she thought to herself, _"why would someone be wearing a coat like _that _in the..."_

Her train of thought came to a sudden halt, as she suddenly thought back to what the officers said earlier; "keep watch for anyone wearing heavy trench coats." As she looked at the picture more closely; Haiku could see that the fellow was indeed, wearing such a coat. _"Hold that thought" _she said to herself, _"check to see if he has any I.D. on him first, before you jump to conclusions."_

As she gave the snapshot another look, Haiku saw that it was too blurry to see anything else clearly enough; thanks in part to the stranger knocking Becky over. Without any further delay, she quickly reported this finding to the others and showed them the image. "Now, _that _guy really looks overdressed" Kat stated, "wonder if the others saw him around where they're at?"

With that thought in mind, Carol suggested to Haiku that she'd send that photo to the others and the officers; hoping they might've seen him or her as well. "The pic isn't exactly a clear one, guys" the young Goth murmured, "do you think Officer Higgins and her partners would get any use for it?" Sadly, the gals couldn't deny the truth in Haiku's words.

But then, Cristina pointed out that she hadn't seen anyone else dress like how the figure in the photo did. "Besides, the security team could probably clear up the picture lickity-split" she said matter-of-factly, "it's the only lead we've got, so far." With that said, everyone unanimously agreed with the idea and Haiku quickly sent the photo out via mass text to the others.

(Scene Change: The Picnic Area)

Sometime later, everyone reconvened at the picnic area to both report their findings...and share some stories about the shows they've seen; in order to help balance out the mood. As Kat predicted; the moment the boys saw the videos her group recorded of Carol and the belly dancers grooving, they came close to passing out (Clyde especially.) "I'm glad y'all are havin' fun, in spite of things" Simmons said with a bright smile, "I'd also like to thank Haiku for sendin' us all that picture from Becky's phone."

Despite feeling thankful of the officer's praise, the young teen in question felt she didn't quite deserve it. "As Haiku said, that pic is too blurry to properly tell who they are" she grumbled, "I doubt we can find any pins or what have you on the coat either." The moment she said this, Officer Campos reminded Becky of a fundamental factor in the plan.

"The main thing to look out for is if whether or not the crook is wearing staff identification" she explained in a hushed tone, "if no pins or bands show up on the picture, it's a _good_ thing." Everyone took a moment to process this information and soon, they realized she had a point. "Besides, this chump has two of the main tells we need to tell him apart from the rest of the crowd" Simmons added, "the coat _and _the scarf."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln immediately felt a sudden jolt rush through him; as if a thought was screaming at him in his head. "May I have a look at that quick" he requested, "something about what Ms. Campos said seems...familiar." Without pause, Becky slid her phone over to her young charge and watched him eyeball the image in stern silence.

"I've seen him" he blurted out softly, "the guy in the picture, I saw him earlier; over by the Mud Pit." With this reveal, everyone soon felt they were getting closer to the end of this case. "Did you see where he went, _chamaco_" she asked in mild desperation, "right after your show ended, where was he heading off to?"

With a sad smile across his lips, Lincoln shook his head and confessed that the crowd at that time was too thick to properly see where he was headed off next. "Hold it, now" Liam interjected, "if this feller and the one Miss Becky saw are the same feller, they could still be in the faire grounds someplace." While there was a ring of truth in the boy's words; the guys and gals all realized unfortunately, that finding him again might be harder now than it seemed.

"What if this creep pulls a sudden costume change when we're not looking" Paige suggested, "they might not be in the same getup the whole time we're all here." The three officers nodded in understanding, thinking they should ask any clothing vendors if any clothes they've made just up and disappeared recently. At the same time, Simmons said she'd send out Becky's picture of the figure in the trench coat to every security team on the grounds.

"We'll put out an A.P.B. on this crook and have everyone on the lookout for them" she assured, "if even so much as a jester's hat goes missing anywhere, we'll be on him like caramel on a Red Delicious apple." With that said, everyone was almost ready to go off on their way...until Haiku suddenly stopped them.

"If I may say so, Officers" she murmured, "you should also notify my Nanna about this creep as well; if anything happens to the Golden Scepter prize for the Costume Contest, she and her troupe could all lose their jobs here." The moment this bit of info was presented; Higgins, Simmons and Campos suddenly realized that the issue was much heavier than they thought.

But just as Haiku started to feel worry get the better of her, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Then, she felt three other small pairs do the same thing; along with someone lightly patting her on the head. She opened her eyes slowly to find that it was Lincoln, his guy pals and Carol all showering her with these affections.

For a moment or so, she didn't say anything; feeling that doing so would be rude. Then, Lincoln smiled at her and offered her an apology; despite the fact it wasn't really needed. "We know Goths aren't really into displays of affection" he chuckled, "but we figured...you could use a little comfort from some friends."

The others sounded off in agreement, proclaiming that they hated seeing their friend look so distressed...and not in the appealing way. Haiku stared at the group surrounding her in silence, for a few moments; until some small tears began trickling down her cheeks. Before anyone could say anything, Haiku sniffled slightly and assured everyone that she wasn't sad; just very touched.

"I just...I love this place and so does the rest of my family" she murmured, "I don't want them to be forced out of here due to some greedy _JERK!"_ With confident smiles upon their faces; Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos vowed that it will not happen. "Go and continue the rest of your faire day, y'all" she urged, "we'll take care of the rest."

With that said, everyone rejoined their respective groups and went off to explore the faire some more.

(Line Break)

It was almost three in the afternoon and so far, there had been no further signs of the stranger in the coat. While he and his friends did their best to continue having fun, Lincoln's mind was still quite frazzled. More than anything, he wished there was a way to find this crook and stop him before they could do anything harmful to anyone.

_"Someone...anyone out there" _Lincoln thought while looking up at the heavens, _"please, tell me there's a way to stop all this brouhaha!" _No sooner had he thought this, a soft voice suddenly called out to him in saying "_perhaps..._I _can help you, Sirrah?" _Lincoln yelped softly at the sound of the voice and quickly turned himself around, expecting someone to approach him.

What he found instead, was both an unexpected yet...somewhat welcomed sight. Before him was the Fortune Teller's tent and sitting inside behind a crystal ball was none other than Lincoln's younger sister, Lucy. But instead of the outfit he saw her wearing earlier; she was dressed in a child-sized gypsy outfit with a purple bandana wrapped around her head, had golden bracelets on her wrists, a matching purple skirt and what looked like a child-sized bodice around her midriff.

She was sitting behind a circular table that was covered with a hand-woven blue table cloth, which was decorated with a series of star and moon designs. At the center of the table, Lincoln could see a large crystal ball; one that matched the size of a Dodgeball. "Do not be afraid, young Sir" she said in a soft yet welcoming voice, "draw closer and let me tell your future."

With a smile upon his face, Lincoln casually made his way towards the tent; whereby he proceeded to greet his sister with a loving embrace. "I had a feeling it was you I saw earlier" he chuckled, "the bangs were a dead giveaway." Lucy shared a small yet ironic laugh with her brother, which he knew was rare for her and returned his embrace.

"So, dear Brother; how fare thee" she murmured while doing her best to remain in character, "art thou having a merry time with thine fellowship of female compatriots?" Lincoln chuckled softly under his breath, removed his cap and bowed graciously before her. "Everything is going well for us" he replied, "except...well, there is someone out there who seeks to disrupt not just _my_ good time here but everyone else's as well."

After making sure no one else was close enough to hear him, Lincoln began to softly whisper into Lucy's ear. Through it all, she could feel a wave of distress washing over her like a raging storm. Once she and Lincoln broke away, poor Lucy suddenly fell back into her chair in shock.

"This...This is real, right" she said while momentarily breaking her character, "this isn't some kind of prank or anything?" Upon being asked this, Lincoln gave her a sort of odd look; one that seemed to say "do I look like Luan to you?" After a while, Lucy managed to collect herself enough to speak with her brother.

"This is serious" she murmured, "and you're telling me everyone else knows about this already?" Lincoln nodded slightly while also clarifying that the security staff on duty may have also been informed about the crook, thanks in part to Becky's accidental snapshot on her phone. "We don't want word of this spreading around too much" Lincoln whispered, "if it did, there could either be a panic amongst the other patrons or the crook would know he's been busted and try to escape."

Lucy nodded in understanding and promised to do her part by keeping an eye out for them. "But...enough about all that" she said with a light smile, "would you like for me to tell you your future?" Now...long ago, Lincoln had dealt with one of his Gothic sister's predictions before; which involved a day (allegedly) "ending in tragedy."

There was a point where he almost thought the prediction to be true, until he became the only one among his family to witness a geyser going off. From then on, Lincoln chose not to take his sister's fortune telling to heart. But due to the circumstances of his situation...and the fact that it was Ren Faire tradition, he decided to give it a go.

With that decision made, Lucy began to wave her hands around her crystal ball while chanting softly. For a moment or so, she didn't say anything to him. Until at last, the ball lit up and she let out a gasp. "What is it, what did you see" Lincoln asked anxiously, "please, don't tell me my day will 'end in tragedy' again."

After looking into the ball again for a few more seconds, Lucy shook her head at her brother and said there would be no tragedy in _his_ future. "However...I see possible tragedy in the future for Haiku's Nanna, Miss McNair" she murmured, "I also see you and the others battling him for the Royal Scepter costume contest prize." In spite of himself, Lincoln gave a light chuckle and asked what sort of "battle" she claimed to see for him.

"This is no joke, Lincoln" Lucy said bluntly, "the thief _will _try and take the staff and you all _will_ make an attempt to stop him." From here, she also added that the thief also harbored a deep grudge against Ms. McNair. "Why, what did she ever do to _them_" questioned Lincoln, "is there anything else you can see?"

With a heavy heart; Lucy said that the only other thing "the spirits" told her was that if this thief got away with their scheme, it could mean the end of both the faire and the careers of all involved.

(First AN: And what started as a typical Loud House two-part event has now gone into a three-parter! Will the crook get away with the Golden Scepter, will Fiona and her trope lose their jobs and just how will Linc and Co. "battle" the thief for it? Find out next time!"

(Second AN: As said above, this was originally meant to be a two-part story; much like all the special episodes from the original series. But because of the seriousness and because of the fact the gang will be attending _both_ weekend days of the faire, I realized that wasn't enough.

The third part will involve Lincoln and everyone going to the second day of the Ren Faire; where they'll hopefully, find and apprehend this crook...before he does anything irreversible to the faire and its staff. This will then mark the finale of the Summer Arc of Oneshots for A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals.

Afterwards, we'll be moving on to the Fall Arc; here's hoping to see you all there.)

(Third AN: To anyone who thinks Dana was being OOC during the Sword-Swallowing act, you are mistaken. Having attended a Ren Faire for years, I've seen such performances before; as well as similar responses from audience members and volunteers alike. Besides, I think that's the best possible way _anyone_ would act; if they've had to pull a sword out of someone else's mouth. LOL!)


	8. Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals Pt 3

Rascally Rennies – Part Three

(Story Summary: As our heroes find themselves at their wits end over the identity and motives of their mysterious felon, Lincoln tells everyone about the prediction Lucy gave him earlier. Upon learning that this criminal bears a grudge against her grandmother, Haiku decides to share a story; one that reveals that someone else desired Fiona's position as well. What clues will this tale hold for the mystery at hand?)

For the rest of the day, everyone did their best to enjoy their time at the faire; including Lincoln. But after his meeting with Lucy earlier, his mind kept thinking about what she said. What sort of "battle" would he and this crook have for the Golden Scepter, would anyone get seriously hurt during it...and most importantly of all, what sort of grudge did this criminal have with Ms. McNair anyway.

_"Since we arrived here, she's been nothing short of kind and generous to all of us" _he thought confusedly,_ "who could possibly want her to lose her job?"_ After barely coming up with any ideas, Lincoln sighed deeply and rejoined the others over at the picnic area. There, he told them all of his earlier meeting with Lucy _and_ about the prediction she gave him.

But as he expected, this was met with mixed reactions from both the Gals and the Guys; the latter appearing on the verge of bursting with laughter. "I know, I know; it's crazy" Lincoln, "but there have been times where her predictions actually came true...in some shape or form" As an example, he reminded Carol's posse of the time Joey came to her for a peek at _his_ future.

"I remember that" Becky gasped, "it was during Lori's party...but he spent much of that time studying." Now, _this_ event in question was a time where Linc's eldest sister attempted to throw a "sophisticated" party for her friends at home. This involved everything from country line dancing, "amusing" anecdotes and salmon mousse with toast points.

The whole thing was such a bore that Joey's one means of escape was studying for an upcoming test. Of course; things _did_ turn out for the better; when everyone joined in for the _real _party (which was orchestrated by Lori's sibs) later on. In time, everyone returned to join in on the fun.

But then, when Joey sat down to receive a psychic reading from Lucy; she foresaw a B- in his future. Now, this wasn't a horrible grade...but it was still something within the "average" spectrum and Joey didn't appear happy about it. On the other hand; after the party, he went to school the following day and was prepared to "defy destiny" and _not_ get a B minus grade.

"I remember now" murmured Dana, "Joey said that the moment he sat down for the test, his mind just...(mimics explosion sound) and suddenly forgot a good chunk of the stuff he researched at the party." Becky nodded her head vigorously and added that in the end, he did indeed get a B- on it...which made her then feel rather uneasy. "My sister's predictions may not go _exactly_ how one would expect" Lincoln confessed, "but one way or another...they _do_ come true, sometimes."

Everyone took a few moments to process this information, while also thinking back to Lucy's prediction for Lincoln. "Did your sister say what _kind_ of battle you might have with the crook" questioned Zach, "I mean...did it involve swords, fists...or even pies?" After taking a moment to softly snicker at the "pie fight" idea, Lincoln shook his head in reply.

"She told me the 'spirits' weren't able to show her anything that far ahead" he explained, "it's weird, I know...but who knows _what_ could happen before things are over." Once more, everyone took a moment to process everything they've been told. On one hand, everyone believed Lucy might've been playing a trick on Lincoln; in a possible attempt for revenge against him for their court sentence.

But...on the other hand, they also remembered how the two of them greeted each other at that time. If she _was_ still sore with her brother, Lucy certainly wouldn't have hugged him; let alone offer any kind advice or help. "Okay, dude...for the sake of the argument; say that we _do_ believe you" Kat murmured, "please, tell us you won't do anything nuts and try to fight this crook on your own?"

With a broad smile upon his face, Lincoln tipped his hat to her and vowed that would never happen; "on his honor" (as Robin Hood would often say.) "Okay, gang; I think that's enough bad vibes for now" Carol interjected, "I say we go have some more fun before the day's over." While this suggestion was met with overwhelming agreement, this brought up a glaring and fundamental issue in their situation; leaving the faire while the criminal remained at large.

"Don't worry guys; all is well" Haiku assured with a warm smile, "the passes I gave you also work as return passes, which will allow us to come back Sunday morning." This bit of news seemed to please everyone, not _just_ for the fact they would be able to come back for more fun. But the return passes would also grant them a second chance to find and apprehend the criminal.

"I just wish we had some clues as to who this crook might be" Lincoln murmured, "the only other thing Lucy told me is that he or she supposedly, holds a grudge against Haiku's Nanna." Upon hearing this reveal, the first question on everyone's minds was "did Ms. McNair have any enemies?" "This is just my personal opinion, guys" Rusty murmured, "but Miss M. seems far too nice of a lady to have any enemies, am I right?"

For a moment or two, no one said a word; mostly due to the (unfortunate) fact that everyone isn't quite so nice all the time. With that in mind, all eyes fell onto Haiku; hoping that _she_ could help provide some insight on things. "We know it's a touchy subject" Paige said uneasily, "but did your grandmother ever gain any enemies over the years, even by accident?"

Much to everyone's dismay, their young Goth friend didn't have any answers; proclaiming she was just as curious/concerned as they were. "Although...I think I do remember _something_" she murmured, "do you all remember when I told you my grandmother became the faire's operator sometime during the mid-80's?" Without hesitation, everyone nodded their heads "yes;" wondering what it had to do with their situation.

"Well...she wasn't just _handed_ the job simply because she looked and acted like she belonged here" Haiku explained, "she, like anyone else applying for a role here, had to show them her credentials and/or show the staff what she could do." She then went on to explain how the original operator/manager left _his_ position due to having to move out of state with his family. "But before he left, he wanted to find someone to take his place" Haiku stated, "among those who applied, two of them really stood out."

After wracking her brain for several seconds, she pulled out her phone and did a quick search online. Mere seconds later, she found the name she wanted and showed off the picture result to the others. It was one of a woman with shoulder-length greyish-blonde hair done up in (what Carol and Dana recalled was) a bouffant, hazel eyes and she had a sort of snooty look on her face.

At first glance, she reminded Carol and her crew of their former drama teacher; Mrs. Bernardo (before they graduated.) But Mrs. B was a rather charming woman (in her own way,) whereas _this_ one looked like the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland. "Who's she" questioned Kat, "she looks like one of those prissy, old-school actresses from the 1930's."

With a light smile upon her face, Haiku proclaimed that her friend's assumption might not be too far off. "Her name was 'Madame Victoria Chapman'" she said while doing air quotes towards the woman's name, "she actually _is_ one of those snooty actresses, even claimed to have been part of the Royal Shakespeare Company, at one time." Haiku then said that eventually, she became "outdated" in the eyes of the public and her studio had to let her go.

"Chapman tried her luck on stage, after that and for a while...things were great for her" she stated, "but then, there weren't that many casting calls coming in for her; which left Victoria with one last hope...the Ren Faire circuit." As everyone listened, the Gal Pals couldn't help but feel sorry for how far the actress had fallen.

At the same time, everyone suddenly speculated that _Victoria_ might've been the one dressed in the huge trench coat and scarf they saw. "That's a possibility" murmured Lincoln, "but then again, the criminal isn't always the most obvious suspect; believe me...I've made such assumptions like that before." While everyone agreed with his words, they weren't quite ready to dismiss Victoria's name just yet.

"Lincoln may be on to something" Haiku said suddenly, "especially after what my grandpa told me happened between them, so long ago." Their collective curiosities piqued, both the Gals and Guys asked what happened. "It was just before the faire's original operator moved away" Haiku began, "from the start, Victoria thought she'd go far here; due to her credentials and supposed 'extensive knowledge' of the Renaissance Era." The kids nodded their heads slightly in unison, thinking that Ms. Chapman might've had things in the bag.

"But then, she hit a little bump on her 'road to success'" Haiku said matter-of-factly, "Lincoln...remember what you said earlier about your sister, Lisa; that if _she_ were here, she'd get upset about things being 'inaccurate' here?" Lincoln groaned softly, upon hearing his friend's question; due to all the rather embarrassing memories he had of such times. "Well, Miss Chapman was just as bad" Haiku said bluntly, "some would say she was the worst of the worst."

(Flashback to years earlier)

_As the Michigan Renaissance Festival approached its new season, it was time to make sure everything was in order. But after hearing the news that their current operator would soon be leaving them, everyone felt it was now time for someone else to take up the reigns. There were two promising candidates for the position, as luck would have it; Miss Fiona McNair and "Madam Victoria Chapman."_

_ Now, Fiona was relatively new to the circuit; having only started working there in 1984. Victoria, on the other hand, had been with the Michigan Renaissance Faire since it first started in 1979. Since then, she wowed much of her audiences with stellar performances; whether she was a noblewoman or a rakish pirate._

_ At the same time however, she was not always so beloved by the people. By 1984, some people soon started calling her performances "hammy;" while children felt that she acted "incredibly snobbish" towards them, whenever they asked to have their pictures taken with her. Fiona on the other hand, seemed to be Madame Chapman's polar opposite._

_Though she was a simple serving wench; whenever she approached patrons to offer refills on their beverages, she would always greet them with a smile or a simple yet sweet "how may I be of service?" On some occasions, Fiona would share songs with those at the picnic area and even get them to sing along with her. Soon, performers and other staff members alike took notice of this and felt it was time for her to really show the faire what she could do._

_ The following year, before opening day arrived; Fiona was asked to show off her performance skills with the casting director. At first, she was dreadfully nervous about doing it; fearing that she might embarrass herself in front of everyone. But then, an idea struck her like a blow to the head. _

"Just pretend you're back in the shire, lass" she told herself, "imagine that the people in front of you are the patrons and remember how much you loved singin' to them." _With this in mind; Fiona shut her eyes, took in a few calming breaths and felt her soul becoming much calmer. When she opened them again, Fiona could still see everyone waiting patiently for her to begin._

_ But in her mind; instead of seeing everyone in their usual semi-formal business wear, they were all wearing either casual street clothes or Medieval/Renaissance costumes. It was as if she was back on the grounds again and everyone was waiting for her to sing (which they were.) With her spirit now at ease, she approached a group of musicians and made a quick song request for them to play._

_ When she returned to the center stage, Fiona took in one final deep breath and began to sing._

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

Now Rory was a piper bold  
Hieland blood wi' in him flowed  
And lowland bodies' hearts aye glowed  
To the tunes of Rory Murphy  
He filled the warriors' breasts wi' fire  
He cheered the heart o' sage and sire  
And made the listening groups admire  
As he gae'd through Dumbarton

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

He had a beard o'lammer gloss  
His cheeks were fresher than the rose  
His sparkling eyes as black's a sloe's  
And a nose as red's a partan  
Rory stood six foot or more  
The brawest man on Scotland's shore  
And all the lassies did adore  
The piper o'Dumbarton

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

He oft times played the night awa'  
And never was he tired at aw  
Piping note for one and a'  
And a tune for every tartan  
When Rory drank an extra gill  
He made his chanter sound say shrill  
You'd hear him on Ben Lomond Hill  
As clear as in Dumbarton

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

'Twas whisky that did him betray  
While tottering home more drunk each day  
He fell headlong all doon the brae  
That killed him dead for certain

(the music suddenly becomes somber)

No more we'll hear his witchy tones  
No more he'll blow his Hieland drones  
His bones lie cold beneath the stones  
In the kirkyard o'Dumbarton

(the music perks up again)

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton

Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy comin' frae Dumbarton  
Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy  
Saw ye Rory Murphy, the piper o'Dumbarton

_When the music slowly died down, all was quiet; save for the squeaking of Fiona's shoes on the stage surface. As she looked around at the staff, the wide-eyed looks on their faces filled her with a great deal of anxiety._ "Criffins" _she thought to herself worriedly, _"I knew I'd embarrass meself like this, now...I may get sacked!"

_ Then, just as she started to assume the worst; a soft noise slowly reached her ears. She looked over towards the crowd and found her husband, Gareth clapping his hands with a broad grin on his face. Afterwards, things started to pick up, as two more people started clapping along with him. _

_ Not long after that, several more people started to clap; until the whole auditorium was echoing with thunderous applause. Briefly taken aback by this unexpected response to her performance, poor Fiona stood frozen in place on stage; as if her feet felt like stone blocks. But she was quickly shaken out of her trance, when she heard the casting director calling her name._

_ "Ms. McNair, I speak for everyone when I say...that was the most stellar performance we've seen in years" the woman gushed, "we would be honored to have you join our family as our newest entertainer!" After taking a moment to recover from her initial surprise, Fiona smiled brightly at the crowd before her and accepted the position with gusto. Meanwhile, in the backstage area; Victoria watched the entire scene unfold with great outrage._

"This...This is inconceivable" _she thought bitterly, _"I had to wait for a week for my first callback...while this..._upstart_ comes into _my _realm and leaves them applauding within minutes?!"_ Much like any diva, Victoria hated the idea of someone possibly upstaging her. However...at the risk of possibly losing her place, she chose to swallow her pride and show her "support" for Fiona...for now._

_ In time; the Scottish lass was properly outfitted, given an instrument and received her instructions on how to go about her new role from the staff. When opening day came around, at last; it was time for Fiona to strut her stuff. As she strummed the strings of her lute, she could feel the burning passion of performing flow through her like a wildfire._

_ Then, as she started to sing, her voice began to attract the attention of many passersby. Men, women and children alike suddenly started flocking to her by the dozens. Naturally; Fiona was surprised by all this, at first and almost froze up on the spot. But then, she looked down and saw a group of children smiling at her._

_ "Please play some more, musician lady" said a little girl no older than three, "you sound really pretty." Not long after that, several other kids and even their parents began urging her to sing some more. Touched by all this, Fiona shook off her earlier fears and resumed playing with great and burning passion._

(Line Break)

_ Meanwhile, at another area of the grounds; Madame Victoria was in the midst of performing as Lady Macbeth for a faire production of the _play _called Macbeth. Of course, _her _show was a tad off-schedule due to her having some "difficulties" with her costume moments earlier. However, these "difficulties" were nothing more than her fussing on the look of her gown._

_ "C'mon, Vicky" groaned one of the stagehands, "the dressmakers spent hours working on this, it's close enough to the real thing." Victoria glowered bitterly at the young man, proclaiming that "close enough" wasn't "good enough;" when it came to making accurate period clothes. "It's bad enough I have to perform in front of people drinking pop out of Viking mugs and eating corndogs" she growled, "but I _refuse_ to perform unless my attire isn't an accurate match to the original gowns!"_

_At that moment, one of the other cast members appeared before them and asked if "Madame Chapman" would be coming on stage soon. "Until I am dressed in the proper outfit, the audience will wait until closing time; if need be" she grumbled, "who else out there can enchant them as well as I could?" Neither the stagehand nor Victoria's cast-mate said anything in reply, fearing that they would suffer another one of her famous tantrums._

_ When she finally decided to grace the stage, almost an hour later; Victoria and her fellow cast members were in for a shocking surprise. The benches before them were almost completely empty, save for a few people thereabouts who were patient enough to wait for the show to start. "What...What is the meaning of this, where is the audience" Madame Victoria growled softly at the stagehand, "you said the rows were halfway filled, you twit!"_

_ After taking a moment to collect himself, the stagehand assured that the seats _were_ filled halfway. But due to her holding up the show for too long, many of the patrons got bored and wished to see something else instead. "No doubt, they went to go see those imbeciles at the mud pit" she grumbled, "or perhaps, they went to see the pirates down at the Market Square...PIRATES WEREN'T PART OF THE RENAISSANCE, YOU UNCULTURED FOOLS!"_

_ As the actress stomped about the stage, ranting and raving; her associates began to back away from her slowly in alarm. "She's at it again, mate" said an actor dressed as Macbeth, "best inform the boss-man about this forthwith." The stagehand nodded vigorously in understanding, scuttled away from the stage and put in a call to the higher ups with his walkie talkie._

_ "Hello, Sir" he whispered, "Ms. Chapman is making a scene again." After listening to a bit of chatter on the other line, the stagehand nodded and turned towards the still raving actress; sweating profusely. "Uh...M-M-M-Madame" he murmured, "the boss wishes to see you in his office...r-r-right away." Madame Victoria lightly scowled at the young man, for a moment; as if contemplating on his words._

_ Then, she shrugged her shoulders slightly and proceeded to walk away; all while muttering under her breath. During her trek, she had a look around at the people around her and grimaced. There were people dressed as Dungeons & Dragons style barbarians, people drinking Flippees at a beverage booth, others eating burgers or hot dogs at picnic tables and other things she found "hideously inaccurate."_

_ Just when her anger was nearing its boiling point, Victoria looked ahead and saw something that made her heart stop (metaphorically speaking.) Near the fountain area was a crowd that seemed to consist of almost three dozen people. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that half of the audience members were people who originally came for _her_ show earlier._

_ "What the...who would dare to steal my audience from me" she demanded, "when I find them, I will..." Before she could go any further in her tirade, the loud sounds of a bagpipe suddenly rang out. Victoria looked all around her feverishly, like a hound would for an intruder, and soon found the source of the noise._

_ Standing before the crowd was Ms. Fiona McNair, dressed in her serving wench attire and playing on a set of bagpipes. In that moment; Victoria didn't know what offended her more, the fact that that someone else was "stealing her glory" or that Fiona was playing and singing Drunken Sailor (a song that she herself believed wasn't part of the period.) _"How dare she steal _my _patrons" _she seethed mentally, _"she's nothing but a serving wench, _I'm _the star of this faire!"

_Desperate to relieve herself of her rage, Victoria decided to grab for the nearest object and either tear it up or break it apart. After doing just that however, she suddenly heard the sounds of wild sobbing from somewhere near her. She opened her eyes, turned her head and spotted a little girl crying beside her._

_ "MOOOOOOMMMMY" she wailed, "SHE TOOK MY DWAGON FROM ME AND BWOKE IIIIT!" Upon hearing this, Victoria looked down and saw something that made her blood run cold. In her hands were the remains of what was originally a dragon puppet, the kind one puts upon their shoulder and use a cable to make it move slightly._

_ Now, much of its pieces lie strewn on the ground; while the head still remained clenched tightly within Victoria's left fist. In her desperate attempt to save face, she used every trick she knew to try and get the little girl to stop crying. But alas, every attempt was met with the same result; bitter tears."_

_ In time, the child's parents arrived at the scene and saw the toy's pieces lying at Victoria's feet. To say that they were displeased with her would be the understatement of the decade. As the mother picked up her weeping child and did her best to console her, the father fumed angrily and got right up into Victoria's face._

_ "I don't know who you think you are, lady" he seethed, "but nobody treats customers this way and gets away with it, I'M GOING TO REPORT YOU!" With that said, he and his family proceeded over towards Ms. McNair's group to watch her perform; leaving an extremely frazzled Victoria behind them._

(Line Break)

_ Sometime after the incident, the performers said their final farewells to the patrons at the main gate. At which time, everyone that passed her gave Victoria either a vicious glare or a messy raspberry. Meanwhile, everyone else among the cast of performers were being given the warmest of farewells from the crowd; especially Fiona._

_ Among these lot was the little girl Victoria had upset earlier. Upon seeing her, she noticed that she had a brand new dragon puppet toy on her shoulder; which had been graciously given to her by Fiona sometime earlier. Madame Victoria couldn't stand seeing a "low-class wench" receiving such kind gestures from the people but she did her best to hide it. _

_ In time, the faire had closed down for the weekend and everyone prepared to head off for home until next week. But then, the still active faire operator called for an emergency meeting. "All staff and performers are to meet back at the hotel at once" he ordered, "and this includes _you_, '_Madame.'_"_

_ Normally, the attitudes of others didn't quite faze her; choosing to instead respond with either snide comments or backtalk. But after what happened today, Victoria had a sinking suspicion on what was going to happen. When everyone gathered at the hotel, minutes later; they each took their seats inside of a large conference room and waited for the meeting to begin._

_ In time, the main business staff took the stage; consisting of members like the current operator/manager, the artistic director, acting director, improv director, entertainment director and so on. After greeting the performers accordingly, the group congratulated everyone on a successful opening weekend. "We've heard a lot of great things from many of you" said the manager, "but...there have been some issues concerning a particular member of our 'faire-mily."_

_ In the back row seats of the room, Victoria suddenly cringed at the word "faire-mly;" calling it a "juvenile" word that the staff used when describing their comraderie. During her moment of discomfort, she was utterly oblivious to the fact that all eyes in the room were now upon _her._ Like a drunk being confronted by the authorities, Victoria scratched her head and asked for the reason behind such looks._

_ It was then that she saw Fiona rise out of her chair, clear her throat and timidly proclaim that she had been...relieved of duty. "What...WHATEVER FOR" Victoria shrieked in outrage, "if it's about the little girl's toy, it wasn't my fault; I was...I wasn't thinking straight!" The production staff members shook their heads in unison; ashamed that such a "dignified" woman would hide behind excuses, instead of admitting her mistake._

_ "This is about more than just _that,_ 'Madame'" the entertainment director seethed, "since you've started working here, your behavior has completely disrupted the workflow of things at the faire." After this, the acting director placed a large pile of papers upon the table; which caused everyone to murmur in confusion. "What we have here, everyone, is a list of complaints from our patrons" she said with a weary groan, "and _this_ is all from today, the one from yesterday is a smidge bigger."_

_ Upon passing out the papers, everyone could clearly see many complaints being directed towards Ms. Chapman. These included but were not limited to holding up performances for personal needs, viciously calling out patrons for "inaccurate" costumes, making several unwarranted complaints about the food the vendors chose to sell and many other things. While all this was going on, Victoria tried her best to stand firm and hold her ground._

_ "People...this is a _renaissance_ festival" she grumbled, "I've heard many other patrons complain about how inaccurate it is for vendors to be serving soft drinks or fast food here before...why single _me_ out?" No sooner had she asked this; a man rose up from his seat and revealed that last year, she threatened to have his stand close if he didn't offer "period appropriate food." "Do you really think people would want to eat just porriage, plain cheese and/or black bread" he prodded, "if we served the third example, the Health Inspector would have our heads!"_

_ Rather than feel intimidated; Victoria simply scoffed and proclaimed that all three examples were what "common people" ate, back then. "Things like turkey legs or bread bowls were not available to them, in that era" she said firmly, "so...why should it be for the public today?" To say that everyone felt offended by Victoria's words would be putting it mildly._

_ Truthfully, they were tempted to have her reported to the police for such slanderous talk. "What about your behavior towards the wee ones" Fiona said suddenly, "what you did to the lass earlier today is but one of many sins you've committed towards our patrons...'MADAME!'" Perhaps it was her jealousy towards Ms. McNair's sudden rise in popularity or maybe, it was how she chose to address her title._

_ Either way, Victoria was finally pushed over the edge with her and was prepared to show the Scotswoman a lesson in "respecting her betters." With her fists clenched tight and her face blazing with rage, the actress screamed like a banshee and charged toward Fiona; knocking several empty chairs over in the process. But just as she was prepared to land the first punch, Victoria was suddenly dog piled on by the other actors and vendors._

_ She struggled and strained beneath everyone's combined weight, desperate to break free. But with almost twenty people lying atop her, it was impossible to do. Needless to say, this little display of bad behavior was just what the production staff needed to decide her fate._

_ "Victoria Chapman; for your continuing and...baffling display of crude, mean-spirited and undignified behavior toward us and our patrons...you are hereby relieved of your duties here at the faire" the still active operator said firmly, "furthermore, you are banned from ever setting foot on these grounds; so long as the faire lives on!" This news caused all staff and cast members (with the exception of Fiona) to cheer, while Victoria simply went white with shock; feeling a brief moment of pity for Victoria. "On one final note, I have made my decision" decreed the manager, "the person who will take my place as Faire Manager is...Miss Fiona McNair!"_

_ This reveal caused practically everyone in the room to cheer wildly. But Victoria, on the other hand felt as though she had been cheated. "How can you give the position to _her_" she cried, "she's just a lowly serving wench; she has no acting credentials, no theater experience...she's not even a licensed performer!" After hearing her say all this, the manager gestured for everyone to move off of Victoria._

_ Afterwards, he casually approached her and gave her a stoic look in the eyes; one that made even _her_ blood run cold. "You may have the papers, 'Madame'" he said coolly, "but if the people can't become invested in who you are on stage or screen...you have lost your right to be considered an actress." After that, he pulled out a walkie-talkie from his pants pocket and said only three other words; "send them in."_

_ After that; a pair of officers entered the room, hoisted Victoria up off the floor and proceeded to handcuff her hands behind her back. Naturally, Victoria tried to put up a fight; while also telling the officers that "she would have their badges," if anything happened to her. "Yeah, yeah" grumbled one officer, "you can tell the judge all about that, lady; once we get ya to the courthouse."_

_ As Fiona was being led out of the room, she looked over her shoulder and saw the manager giving Fiona his pin. She growled and sneered, as all of the other performers proceeded to shower her with accolades for her "triumph." "This is all _your_ fault, you Scottish cow" Victoria shrieked, "I was the queen of the faire until _you_ came and took away what's rightfully mine!"_

_ While the officers did their best to keep hold of her, Victoria made one final pledge towards everyone in the room; including Fiona. "I swear to you, even if it takes the rest of my life to try and do it, I _will _return" she declared, "and when I do, everyone in your precious faire will suffer for my indignities!"_

(Back to the Present)

By the end of her story; Lincoln, the Gal Pals and the boys were on the verge of fainting from shock. The idea that someone could act so obscenely out in public was baffling. But ironically enough; Haiku's description of Madame Victoria seemed to remind him just a little of his sister, Lola. _"No, Lincoln...don't even joke like that"_ he scolded himself mentally, _"even on her worst days, Lola would _never _behave the way Madame Victoria did."_

After a while, Carol was the first to share her thoughts on her friend's story; proclaiming that it was a lot to take in. "I know...and I'm sorry" Haiku murmured, "but I promise you; on my word, everything I said is 100% true." Not long after that, everyone started murmuring frantically in alarm; proclaiming that no one suggesting she was lying.

"It's just...I've never even heard movie nerds get _that_ upset over accuracy on things" Zach stated, "not even when it came to that big Harvester remake that premiered last Halloween." After hearing everything Haiku told them; the Gals and Guys all agreed that this Victoria Chapman was a bona fide, Class "A" diva. They also agreed that her grudge against Fiona and the Ren Faire could still going on, even after so much time has passed.

"But you heard Haiku, she got banned" Rocky said matter-of-factly, "would anyone really be stupid enough to try and come back somewhere they've been kicked out of?" While there was a ring of truth in the Spokes Boy's words, everyone suddenly remembered the figure in the trench coat. "She _could_ be here...but only in disguise" Jordan stated, "in any case, we should report this to Officer Higgins and her partners."

Everyone nodded in agreement and proceeded to locate the three officers in question. When they _did_ manage to get meet up with the officers; the time had, unfortunately come for the faire to close for the day. Thankfully, the Gals remembered that their passes would allow them to return the next morning.

"Dang it, we don't have return passes" grumbled Lincoln, "and I doubt there's any left to buy." Just as he and the boys were about to lose hope, everyone suddenly noticed Officer Campos playfully dangling four golden passes in front of Lincoln's face. When the young Loud boy finally looked up, he gasped at the sight of the passes and took them in is hands.

"Consider them a gift from the girls and I, _chamaco_" Campos said with a smile, "it's our way of saying thanks for agreeing to help." Without missing a beat, Lincoln proceeded to hug the Latina officer's tightly around her waist while thanking her. "There we are" Carol said proudly, "now that our team is sticking together, let's promise not to rest until we find this sleaze ball and bring them to justice."

Without a second thought, every Gal and Guy Pals sounded off loudly in agreement. "Nobody disrupts our weekend and gets away with it" Whitney said fiercely, "tomorrow, let's find this creep and have the Queen's Guard have a little fox hunt...with _him/her_ as the fox!" Lincoln and the boys couldn't help but chuckle at their lady friend, reminding themselves to never cross her.

Meanwhile, Simmons was chatting into her walkie-talkie; possibly corresponding with any security staff still on the grounds. After meeting up with the kids earlier, the trio was immediately told the same story they heard from Haiku. "Yup, I've heard some things 'bout Miss Chapman before" murmured Higgins, "big shame...I used to love watchin' her old movies."

This story combined with the photo of the figure in the trench coat and scarf made the case a tad easier. After that, she proceeded to inform security about what she had been told and requested that an A.P.B. (or All-Points Bulletin) on Victoria Chapman or a person disguised in a heavy trench coat and scarf throughout the grounds. "Disguised or not, we now have everything we need to try and catch her" Simmons assured, "we best try this again tomorrow."

Before everyone left, Haiku suddenly started to sniffle; which alarmed all of her friends greatly. "I...I'm sorry, guys" the wee Goth sniffled, "I just...I hate what this person has done to not only my Nanna...but all of us and the people of the faire as well." She then turned towards the officers and prayed that they would be able to find this creep.

"I can't bear to leave the faire behind while they're still at large, somewhere here" she murmured, "I hope we'll catch them soon." After everyone, including the officers gave Haiku a quick group hug; they assured her that the crook _would_ be stopped, once and for all. "In the meantime, go get some rest" Higgins instructed, "maybe tomorrow, things will be better."

With that said, everyone said their goodbyes and headed off for the parking lot.

(Line Break)

Later that night, the faire grounds had been closed down for the day and all appeared quiet as the grave. But in the Market Square of the grounds, a figure was hiding out within one of shoppes. After making certain no one was around, the figure crept through the shadows as quietly as they could.

They did this for almost ten minutes until they at last, reached their destination; the security office. After jimmying the lock for several moments with an old playing card, the figure slowly opened the door and found the object of their desire; a large case. Upon collecting the item in question, the figure went to work on the next part of their plan.

They looked beside the case's latch and spotted a keyhole, much to the thief's delight. Now, in this day and age; most cases would have a card lock or a push-button combination lock to help keep it secure. But this was one of those "old-school" style cases, the sort that required the turn of a key to help undo the latch; which made things all too easy for our thief.

After taking a moment to reach under their hat, the figure fished their hand around for a few moments until they found what they needed; a hairpin. After procuring the item in question, the figure began to fiddle with the lock as gingerly as they could. Eventually, the figure heard the lock give a sharp and sudden click; before it swiftly loosened up.

Afterwards, they proceeded to open the case to reveal the _true_ object of their desire; the Golden Scepter. _"At last, I have you in my clutches" _the figure muttered, _"and if these...heathens want you back, they will have to do whatever I wish."_

(First AN: Yuh-oh...now that this mysterious figure in a trench coat has the scepter, what do they plan to do with it? Will anyone notice it's been taken and most of all; when they _do_ find out, will Miss McNair and her band be sacked? Find out next time as we end the Fall Arc of A Day in the Life with the conclusion of Rascally Rennies.)

(Second AN: What started as a three-part story has now been given an extra kick. I figured adding a fourth part was necessary, considering how the gang will be attending _both_ weekend days of the faire. But rest assured; next time, the crook _will_ be caught.)

(Third AN: The song that Fiona sings during her audition is a *possibly* traditional Scottish folksong called Rory Murphy. Much like with Good Luck to the Barley Mow in Part One, this melody was made popular by the Irish Rovers; an Irish folk music group that originated in Canada. Considering Fiona's ethnicity, I figured it would be a perfect tune for her to sing.)

(Fourth AN: The child's toy that Victoria broke is based on a real-world toy people young and old buy at Ren Faires. I am uncertain on what they are typically called, truth be told. But they are a sort of puppet you can control with a cable of some kind.

You move said cable around to make the head go up, down, left or right. While there's also a button that either makes its wings flap or its eyes blink. These are a popular toy with the little ones, which made it the perfect idea to use for a scene in the flashback.)

(Fifth AN: The word Fiona mutters, "criffins," is a sort of Scottish interjection term that means "Christ" in English or "Crikey" in Australian)

(Final AN: Speaking of Victoria, she's not only a caricature of all the hoity-toity, hammy actresses of Olde Hollywood. But she's also the embodiment of all the complaints people have made towards Ren Faires across the globe. These complaints range from the food, the dialect, the clothing...even the items that are sold at the market square.

This sort of complainer is shown in all manner of media, from The Big Bang Theory to Be Cool Scooby-Doo. It's rather sad that these people can't just let themselves get lost in the illusion of the faire, am I right?)


	9. Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals Pt 4

Rascally Rennies with the Gal Pals – Part Four

(Story Summary: The following morning, the Gals and Guys return to the Faire Grounds for another day of fun. But upon their arrival, they learn that the Golden Scepter had been stolen. The _good_ news however, is that the thief is still within the grounds and security had been doubled; after the theft was reported.

At the same time; the bad news is if the scepter isn't found again, Miss Fiona McNair will be fired or worse. Will our heroes be able find the thief and stop them or will this scoundrel force Fiona into leaving her position as manager and the Faire behind forever? SUMMER ARC FINALE!)

After leaving the Faire behind her for the day and being dropped off home by Carol, Haiku immediately retired to bed; telling her parents that she already had enough to eat at the grounds to compensate for her supper. Her parents, though confused by her sullen demeanor (at first) respected their daughter's wishes and wished her goodnight; hoping she'd feel better in the morning. Unfortunately; the moment she got into bed, poor Haiku appeared unable to sleep.

All she could think about was the figure in the trench-coat, slinking hither and yon around the faire and stealing anything he/she could get her hands on. The wee Goth shivered at the idea; knowing full well that if it were to happen, her Nanna would lose her job as manager...or worse. These thoughts and more caused poor Haiku to almost cry in her sleep, while she tossed and turned beneath her covers.

(The Dreamscape: Haiku's Mind)

_As the wee Goth drifted off into the land of dreams, she found herself back at the faire grounds. But instead of seeing all the performers out and about, doing their thing; she saw only one person...the figure in the trench-coat. She watched as they went through every inch of the grounds, taking anything and everything they could find._

_ When the thief's crime spree finally reached its end, there was nothing left anywhere. The clothing stands, the jewelry shoppes, the weapon stores...even the food booths were all stripped clean of their wares. This all left the merchants feeling understandably miffed and each of them began crying out in outrage over this development. _

_ As things started to become progressively worse; Haiku could only watch in alarm, wondering if her Nanna and her troupe were safe from all this. The moment this thought came into her head, a spotlight shines down upon a spot in the distance; revealing the saddened form of her grandmother. "Nanna...Nanna, what's going on" Haiku shouted desperately, "where did all the crafts and merch go?" _

_ Much to her horror and surprise, her grandmother didn't respond to anything she said; as if she couldn't hear her at all. With tears welling up in her eyes, the wee Goth child rushed towards her grandmother; hoping that her presence would help give her some glimmer of strength. But just as she tried to hug her, Haiku suddenly phased right through Fiona's body and fell to the ground. _

_ Confused, she walked over and tried to grab onto her hand; only to see her fingers go right through it. Alarmed by this, Haiku tried to give her one of Fiona's bandmates/family a hug next. Just like before; the moment she tried to put her arms around any of them, she simply phased clear through and fell to the ground hard. _

_ As Haiku lay there, trying to ease the pain in her nose; she could see a woman dressed as an English queen approaching her grandmother. From the moment she saw the stern look upon her face, Haiku could tell that this woman was not amused._ "Miss Fiona McNair for the Royal Wood, you have failed to stop the thief that has trespassed upon the shire" _the queen said firmly,_ "now...you shall pay the price!"

_After this proclamation was made, all the merchants of the faire suddenly rushed Fiona; where they proceeded to strip her of her beautiful clothing._ _When they finally dispersed, the poor woman now looked like a lowly peasant rather than a beautiful serving wench or a musician. Not long after that; some armored knights arrived, grabbed Fiona by her arms and proceeded to lead her off into the blackness of the void (presumably off to jail.)_

_The sight of this utterly horrified Haiku and she desperately tried to get everyone to stop. "Please, give her another chance" she begged, "we'll catch the crook...we promise...WE PROMISE!"_

(Back to Reality)

With that final scream; Haiku, back in her own bedroom, suddenly fell off the side of her bed and hit the floor. Not long after that; Haiku's parents suddenly burst into her room, fearing that she might've hurt herself. "Hildy, sweetheart; are you okay" cried Mrs. Matthews, "we heard you screaming and then, there was that crash and..."

Before the woman could finish her statement, she suddenly felt her daughter throw herself into her arms and hold her for dear life. Not long after that, Haiku proceeded to sob loudly with both fear and despair. "MOM, DAD...I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE" the wee Goth wailed, "I'VE HAD THE MOST HORRIBLE DREAM!"

After a while, both parents scooped her up in their embrace and did whatever they could to calm Haiku down. "There, there baby; it's okay" Mr. Matthews hushed reassuringly, "you might've just had a nightmare after reading one of your books too late at night again." With a fierce scowl upon her face, Haiku glared firmly at her father with tear-stained eyes and proclaimed her nightmare had _nothing_ to do with her books.

"I was back at the faire...but all the shoppes and booths were empty, even though it was open" she murmured hysterically, "then...everyone's surrounding Nanna...and the queen tells her 'you have failed the shire' and...and..." The moment she got to the near climax of her nightmare, poor Haiku appeared on the verge of having a panic attack. Thinking quickly, Mrs. Matthews escorted her out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen; where she offered to make Haiku her favorite tea.

"Maybe after we've all had a cup, we can talk" she said with a soft smile, "would you like that, hon?" Haiku said nothing aloud in reply; in her current state, all she could do was smile weakly and offer up a small nod. With that settled, she took a seat at the table while her mother put the kettle on.

(A Half-Hour Later)

Some time passed since everyone sat down at the table and Haiku had finished recounting the nature of her dream with her parents. By the end of it; the duo was shocked, confused and outraged all at once from the story. "So, you see..._that's_ why I had trouble sleeping" the wee Goth confessed, "I just can't bear the idea of Nanna losing her dream job and that the crook responsible getting away with it all."

To say that her parents were shocked by all this information would be the understatement of the millennium. At first, they tried telling Haiku it was just all part of her nightmare; nothing more than her own subconscious mind messing with her. But then, she took out her phone and brought up the picture Becky sent her through a mass text.

When she brought it up, her parents got a look at it and gasped softly. "We were at the faire all day and haven't seen anyone else dressed like this" Haiku explained, "and this guy has no ID on him; no pins, tags or anything!" After taking all this information in; Mr. Matthews presumed that perhaps, the person in the coat might've been chilly from being outdoors all-day.

"But honey, it was almost 94 degrees out yesterday" Mrs. Matthews retorted, "only people in costume would be crazy enough to walk around dressed like that in the heat." With this statement, Mr. Matthews offered up the possibility that the person's trench coat might've probably been a costume of some kind. "I mean...I've heard of people dressing up in pretty odd getups" he suggested, "which means hot or cold weather, they walk around in it regardless."

While there was _some_ truth in his words, neither Haiku nor her mother felt anyone would be crazy enough to do such a thing. "If you guys need a second opinion, call Nanna for yourselves" Haiku suggested while wiping away her tears, "or maybe, Officer Higgins can tell you about it...or any of my friends who were with me..." Sensing that she was becoming hysterical again, Mr. Matthews took Haiku into his arms and hushed her soothingly; all while patting her head.

"There, there sweetheart" he murmured softly, "we _do_ believe you...but after hearing what you've told us, we're wondering if _anyone_ will be able to catch this thief?" Mrs. Matthews nodded slightly in agreement; adding that the figure might've done a full wardrobe change, now that news of his/her presence was spreading. Not long after she said this, everyone looked at the stove's clock and saw that it was almost 11:00 PM.

"Goodness, it's getting late" she said with a slight yawn, "best get back to bed everyone." While she did agree with her mother's idea, Haiku admitted that she was worried about having another nightmare. "How about one more cup of tea to help you sleep, hon" suggested Mrs. Matthews, "it always helps _me,_ whenever I have a rough night."

With a light smile on her face and slight nod of her head, Haiku held up her cup high; eager for another drink of tea. As Mrs. Matthews headed over to the cupboard, she looked around inside for anything that would help her daughter rest more easily. It was then that she came across a small plastic baggie, one that contained what appeared to be some leaves and colored powder.

She remembered being given this by Stella's mother, back when they first met at "Girl Jordan's" pool party. According to her; if she mixed all these properly in boiling water, it would make a tea that will instantly relax the drinker. Stella confirmed this for herself by saying it helped their friend, Lincoln rest at night; when _he_ suffered some nightmares.

With all this in mind, Mrs. Matthews decided to give it a shot. After waiting for the pot to boil everything just right for several minutes, she poured the tea and handed Haiku back her cup. "Drink every drop, honey" she murmured with a smile, "you'll need your rest for tomorrow."

Not needing to be told twice, the wee Goth sipped down every bit of the tea. Before long, she was starting to feel its calming effects. "Thanks for that, Mom" she droned softly, "I think I (yawn) I will be able to sleep much better, now."

With that said; she kissed her parents on the cheek, said her good-nights and headed back upstairs to bed.

(Line Break)

The following morning; everyone rose out of bed, had a hearty breakfast and suited back up into their faire attire. After the events of yesterday's visit, the Gal Pals and Lincoln were determined to return to the grounds and try to have another fun faire day. Of course, for them; this was about more than just another day of revelry.

After failing to find and catch the crook yesterday, everyone hoped they would have better luck this time around; none more so than poor Haiku. After being picked up in the van, she immediately told the Gals and Guys about her nightmare and how real it all felt to her. "Sigh...I know it sounds silly, in some ways" she murmured, "but I just...I can't shake away this feeling that something bad might happen!"

Upon hearing these words, Lincoln's mind suddenly flashed back to when he visited Lucy at the Fortune Teller Tent and the prediction she gave him. Perhaps in one way or another, something huge _would_ be happening at the faire. At the same time, he hoped it wouldn't result in him or his friends fighting the thief.

"Well, Haiku; I speak for everyone when I tell you this" Jordan began, "no matter what happens, no matter how long it takes...we _will_ find this crook and stop them!" Immediately after she said this, the other Gal Pals and Lincoln cheered loudly in agreement; while also pledging their full support. Touched by their overwhelming dedication, Haiku couldn't help but shed a joyful tear.

"Thank you all so much" she sighed gratefully, "but...how will we find this creep, they may not be at the grounds anymore." No one could deny the truth of her words but at the same time, no one could think of an appropriate reply. The only thing that _could_ be said was Lincoln offering up a simple "we'll think of something" to his Gothic friend.

Then, at that moment; he suddenly heard a musical chime ring out from inside his backpack. He opened it up and saw his cellphone ringing, along with the image of Officer Gabriella Campos upon the touch screen. Without hesitation, he answered the call and turned on the speaker; believing that everyone needed to hear the call.

As it turned out, the call was actually a voicemail message she sent to him. Regardless, Lincoln quickly pressed the "play" button on his phone and waited patiently for said message to start. _"Good morning,_ chamaco; _heard you and the gang were on your way to the Faire grounds again" _the officer's voice greeted sweetly, _"unfortunately...there was an incident, last night; which left us all here with no choice but to keep the gates closed until further notice."_

The crew was beyond bothered by this news, mostly because they were already halfway there on their drive. But before anyone could voice their complaints, Lincoln shushed them softly; wishing to hear the rest of the message. _"In case you are wondering; no, no one's been hurt" _Campos assured, _"but something _has _been stolen and we think it happened sometime before or after everything closed down last night."_

The moment this bombshell was dropped, it shocked everyone so hard that it Carol almost swerved the van off the road. But she was able to keep her composure just enough to keep on moving forward. Soon after; Campos' message revealed that somehow, the Golden Scepter was taken from its carrying case during the night.

_"That bit of the report surprised me a little, to be honest" _confessed the officer, _"mainly because the guard who was tasked with holding the case still had the key with him when he went to use the restroom." _Upon hearing this reveal, everyone was left scratching their heads in utter confusion. "It doesn't make sense" murmured Cici, "if the security guard had the key to the carrying case, how else could the crook get it open?"

At the moment, it felt as though this whole mystery left them with more questions than answers. The biggest one being how would they be able to find it again, after the thief managed to snatch away the scepter? "Call the officers back, Linc" ordered Carol, "see if they can tell us if the crook is still lurking around there!"

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln brought up Higgins' number and pressed speed-dial at an almost lightning fast speed. The phone rang four or five times until (much to everyone's disappointment) they heard the officer's voicemail asking them to leave a message. With a frustrated growl, Lincoln tried to call Simmons' phone next; only to be met with the same thing.

It was then that everyone realized that the trio might've been busy working with the faire's security staff, at the moment. "They must be too busy to answer their phones right now" groaned Phoebe, "considering the circumstances, I can't really blame them." Everyone murmured softly in agreement; while also thinking that if the gates were to be closed, it might be better off to head back for home.

"No dice" Carol decreed firmly, "we promised we would help Haiku save her grandmother's job and by golly, we _will_ make good on that promise!" Not long after that, Lincoln joined in the fray; proclaiming that no Gal Pal deserved to suffer such indignity. "Linc's right; you're part of our family, Haiku" Becky stated, "and that makes your grandmother one of us as well."

If Haiku wasn't crying before from her friends' show of support, she certainly was now; albeit small tears. With a grateful smile on her face; the wee Goth once again, thanked everyone and vowed to repay them for their kindness...somehow. "We'll think about that later, girlfriend" Whitney said bluntly, "we've gotta get the rest of the boys, if we're gonna do this job right."

With that, Carol put her pedal to the metal and drove the van straight for the McBride household; whereby Lincoln called up Clyde and told him to "assemble the team." "Ready the Merry Men, Alan-a-Dale" he said in his Robin Hood voice, "this day, we catch a thief!" The Gal Pals couldn't help but giggle at his statement, some calling it ironic.

_"A thief planning to catch another thief"_ Haiku chuckled mentally, _"there's a funny surprise."_

(Scene Change: The Gates of the Michigan Renaissance Faire)

Sometime later, everyone arrived at the gate to find it closed shut; just as Officer Campos said in her voicemail. At the same time, they also saw scores of other patrons ranting and raving with anger; demanding to know what was going on. With fear welling up inside of her, Haiku searched the area for signs of her grandmother or her troupe.

Thankfully; she _did_ manage to spot them, standing before the gates and doing whatever they can to keep the crowd calm. At the same time, they saw the security team looking over everyone in line intently. They also appeared to be patting each of them down and/or thoroughly searching through any bags they had with them.

"Just be calm, everyone" urged Fiona's bandmates calmly, "once each of you agrees with the search, you shall be granted entry." It didn't take long for the gang to realize what was going on. With news of the Golden Scepter being gone now made public, it left the security team feeling paranoid.

Thus, every patron would have to receive a pat-down before being given entry; to make certain no one had any illegal items in their possession. "This is just like what happened with my cousin at her school, after someone made a bomb threat" Dana whispered, "every student was treated this same way for weeks...until the culprit was eventually caught." Everyone suddenly shuddered in unison, dreading the idea of having every inch of them be felt up by the security guards.

The one most nervous about this was Clyde; who, even now, struggled to keep his mind calm. "Don't be too nervous, everyone" Haiku murmured, "we've got nothing to hide...so, just go along with this." While they still felt rather nervous about the situation, the Gals and Guys all nodded in agreement and stood back in line.

When the time came for each of _them_ to be searched, they did their best to keep calm while Officer Simmons rifled through their bags. "I'm so sorry for doin' this to y'all, kids" she murmured with a lightly shameful tone, "but it's just standard protocol...you understand, right?" Everyone nodded silently in understanding and urged her to keep doing her job.

When the time came for Lincoln to be searched over, he spotted his parents and some of his sisters at the gate. He also noticed some rather uncomfortable looks upon each of their faces. This meant that, like the patrons, they were also subjected to a full body search.

Thankfully, the security team found nothing questionable or suspicious on him; even considering his bow and suction cup arrows a non-lethal weapon. "All clean, sug" said Officer Higgins with a thumb's up, "you can go through now." Lincoln thanked her for the entry and proceeded towards the gate; where he then greeted his family members with great joy.

"Hi, guys; nice to see you here again" he said casually while hugging his folks, "I'm guessing _you_ had to be searched as well?" From their expressions alone, Lincoln could already guess their answer. "They told us if we didn't agree to it, they'd label us as possible accomplices" Lana murmured uneasily, "whatever that means."

Rather than discuss the meaning of the word "accomplice" with his sister, Lincoln chose to take a knee and hug her reassuringly in his arms. "Sorry you had to go through that, Sis" he murmured, "hopefully...today will be the day this all ends." Touched by her brother's words, Lana returned the hug and wished everyone luck on the case.

Not long after that; Luna, Leni and their parents joined in the love as well. While still holding onto his little sister, Lincoln's face suddenly became quite serious; which surprised everyone. "Sport, are you okay" questioned Lynn Sr., "did something happen on your drive here?"

Upon realizing his behavior, Lincoln shook his head and smiled; assuring his dad everything was okay with him. "I just...I don't know if I should tell you this, guys" he whispered softly, "but the reason why everyone's being searched over is...something valuable has been stolen from the grounds." Leni gasped loudly at this reveal but immediately clamped her mouth shut afterwards, fearing she might make a scene.

When asked what sort of thing was stolen from the faire, Officer Simmons arrived and politely told them to move along. "Sorry to break this up, y'all" she stated, "but there are other people in line waiting to come on in." Lincoln nodded in understanding, said his last goodbyes to the family (for now) and broke away stepped aside; waiting for the Gal Pals to come stand with him.

"The security team will give you the rest of the info, guys" he stated, "just...keep your eyes open for anyone wearing trench-coats or something." The moment he mentioned the garment's name, something suddenly sparked in Leni's head. Then, she felt a rare yet welcomed sensation within her.

"Guys, I think I have an...idea" she chirped, "last night, right before we all left; I found something in the garbage bin last night, when I went to use the Ladies...pryvie...prithee..." The moment she felt her mind starting to wander, Leni swiftly slapped her forehead and growled. "Hold on for a sec" she urged, "I'll go get it and show you." Before anyone could say anything, the young blonde quickly rushed off into the distance like a bolt of lightning.

While she was away, everyone wondered what sort of "surprise" she wished to show them from the privy; which everyone else knew was the Olde English term for restroom. When she returned, seconds later; Leni appeared to be holding a massive load in her arms. At first, everyone felt it might've been either a large piece of cloth someone threw away or a poorly designed outfit.

Much to everyone's surprise, however; the item was, in fact an outfit and a rather familiar one at that. "Why would someone throw their coat away in the trash" questioned Liam, "if'n no one's usin' it, give it to me; our scarecrow needs a new wardrobe." Just as Leni was about to hand over the coat, the elder Gal Pals quickly stopped their friend in her tracks.

"Guys...I think this is the same coat the guy in my photo was wearing" gasped Becky, "which means, they're onto our plan to find them!" Not long after this, Lincoln approached Officer Higgins and asked if anything else might've been taken recently; aside from the..."you know what." "It's funny you'd ask me that, sugar" she replied in a hushed voice, "when she was setting up shop, one of the costume vendors said a jester's outfit and a full-faced harlequin mask suddenly went missin' from her inventory."

Before the officer could continue; Leni suddenly yelped in pain, claiming something had nipped at her hand. Seeing as though his sister was still holding on to the coat, Lincoln asked if anyone had checked the pockets for anything. "I know it's a long-shot" he murmured bluntly, "but whatever's been left behind could be the clue we need to find the thief."

With that said, Leni gingerly placed the coat down and everyone began to feel it up feverishly; hoping to find something stashed away in it. When Haiku dipped her hand into the left pocket, she felt the same small yet painful prick at her hand that Leni did. Ever so carefully, she reached back inside and collected the item in question; a hairpin...and a rather "old school" looking one at that.

"Ooh, how cute" Leni gushed adorably, "did whoever owns this coat buy that from one of the jewelry shoppes?" After giving the idea much thought and inspecting the pin in question, the officers shook their heads in response. "This looks much older than what they make here, sweetie" Simmons murmured, "except for my Grandmama, I haven't seen anyone wear something like this in ages."

Just as she was about to dismiss the item as "trash" and cast it aside, Haiku and Lincoln immediately stopped her. "Hold on, Ma'am" the young Loud boy insisted, "I think it would be a good idea to keep that on hand...if my hunch is correct." Haiku turned to her friend and smiled, thinking that the two of them had the same hunch in mind.

"If you two dudes have something up your sleeves, would ya mind sharing" Luna requested, "we've gotta get to work soon." The two kids nodded in understanding, turned towards Officer Higgins and asked if they could visit where the item was last seen. While feeling a tad perplexed by the idea, she decided to allow it.

With that settled, the two kids waved goodbye to their friends and hurried along towards their destination; the Faire grounds security office.

(Line Break)

Upon their arrival; the kids were, as they feared, halted by the officer on duty. This was both due to them being "just a couple of kids" and the fact that, like the rest of the security team, the scepter going missing had left her a tad paranoid. "Rest assured, Miss; these kids are more than qualified" said Officer Higgins, "it was them and their friends who informed us about the odd stranger in the trench-coat yesterday."

The moment this tidbit was revealed, the security guard immediately changed her tune and granted them entry. Afterwards, they proceeded to ask her to recount everything that happened before the theft. "I'm telling you, it was freaky" she murmured in a frazzled tone, "I had all my keys with me, when I went to the restroom and yet...they still managed to find a way in my office _and _open the case!"

Upon mentioning this, she took out her ring and showed every key that was on it; including the one for the scepter's carrying case. "I think I have an idea on how the thief got in the room" Lincoln murmured, "he or she must've jimmied the lock!" At first, both Higgins and the security officer doubted his words; wondering how he would know of such things.

"Trust me...I know" he muttered coyly, "whenever we tried locking Luan up on April Fools, she always managed to have something that would help open the door; like Lori's credit card." Upon mentioning the idea of a card, the security guard said that she came across an old playing card in the trash bin; when she came back. After this reveal, everything started to connect little by little.

With the mystery of how the thief got into the office now solved, next was the matter of the hairpin; which left everyone hoping they were on the right track. "Ma'am...you said someone managed to open the case's lock without the key, correct" Lincoln asked, "could we have a look at it for a moment?" Without a moment's hesitation; the guard nodded in compliance, hurried to the back of the room and brought back the case with her.

It was a large, thick, slightly old rectangular case; just about half Lincoln's height. At first glance, it reminded him of the sort of cases Luna would store one of her instruments in. "Here you go, folks" said the guard as she placed the case down, "what do ya need it for, exactly; the thing inside the case is long gone."

Rather than answer her, Haiku asked to borrow the hairpin they found in the pocket of the trench-coat earlier. Upon being given the item, Lincoln and Haiku began examining the case until they found what they wanted; a keyhole. "Of course" cried Officer Higgins, "if you've got a steady hand and a good ear, anyone could pick this lock with a pin."

After making this discovery; Haiku added that the thief must've locked up the case again, once they've found what they wanted. "I think we're close, kids...dangerously close even" murmured Higgins, "but I can't help but think that there's one more clue that we need." With that said, she and the kids began racking their brains; trying to think of what else they would need to catch their perp.

Then, like a blow to the head; an idea began to form in Lincoln's mind. "Miss Higgins, could you make a call out to your partners" he asked, "I'd like them to give one more look over that trench-coat and hat Leni found in the bathroom trash." The officer nodded silently, took out her walkie-talkie and immediately made the call.

Ten seconds later, Officer Campos answered and asked what the group needed. "Miss Campos, we think we've got an I.D. on who's behind all this" Lincoln said confidently, "but we need one more thing...could you guys perform one more search over the coat and hat Leni found?" In spite of her better judgment telling her otherwise, Campos agreed to the request and momentarily signed off.

Seconds later, he could hear Leni's voice on the line; proclaiming she saw bits of hair in the hat. _"The outfit must've belonged to somebody really old" _she murmured in disgust, _"the hair we found looked...kinda grey but not totally, if that makes sense."_ Sometime after this reveal; Lincoln, Haiku and Officer Higgins got a sudden e-mail on their phones.

Each of them looked at their screens and saw that it was an image of the inside of the hat Leni found with the coat. When she saw the few strands of long hair on the photo, Haiku's eyes started to narrow angrily. Not long after, she took out her phone and began a feverish search online for something.

When she found it, everyone could see her looking even madder. "Haiku...are you okay" Lincoln asked warily, "did Leni's message have something offensive in it?" Rather than answer him, Haiku asked her friends to take a look at what was on her phone.

The moment they did so, Lincoln and Officer Higgins gasped in shock. "Um...not to seem rude here, folks" the security officer interjected, "but would someone mind letting me in on things?" Wasting no time, Officer Higgins showed the image on Haiku's phone to her and immediately asked the guard to send word to all faire staff.

The woman nodded in understanding and immediately put the word out. "I think we've got the snake now, gang" Higgins giggled, "now...to trap her and make sure they don't get away." While the kids fully sided with her on the notion, both Haiku and Lincoln couldn't help but wonder how they would accomplish this.

However, before they could think much on the idea; Higgins' walkie-talkie suddenly went off. Not long after that, the kids felt their cellphones going off at the same time. The moment they answered, the ladies and gent could hear their friends calling out to them in alarm on the other end of the lines.

_"Guys! Wherever you are, come quick" _Phoebe's voice called out from Haiku's phone, _"some nutjob is making a scene at the jousting field...and somehow, we doubt it's all part of some show going on!"_ At the same time, through Higgins' walkie-talkie, her partners reported the same thing. They also added that the figure was dressed in the same mask and costume that was reported missing earlier.

"Let's skedaddle, kids" ordered Higgins, "we don't want this crook escapin' the grounds...or worse!" With that said, everyone left the office and hurried out the door of the security office; the guard on duty following close behind them.

(Scene Change: The Ren Faire Jousting Field)

At the western side of the faire grounds, a massive crowd could be seen gathering there. Now, at first glance; new arrivals at the scene would assume that a big show was going on here. But in reality, there was something far more sinister at work.

Standing at the center of the field, the crowd spotted what looked like a jester; who was being surrounded by a group of the queen's knights. Naturally, no one was aware of what was happening, at first. So, they presumed it was all part of some performance.

The Knights, Queen and other performers present seemed to think the same thing and were almost willing to play along. "Good morrow, noble Harlequin" the Queen greeted regally, "hast thou come to share a roguish jest with us?" Much to her surprise, the jester said nothing; which made the other performers feel a little worried.

"C'mon, pal; that's your cue" whispered one of the knights beneath his helmet, "say something!" Again, the jester did not answer them but everyone could see their head moving side-to-side; as if they were searching for something. Then, at that moment; a man playing the court chamberlain looked over the jester intently and gasped.

"Everyone...this guy's wearing the costume and mask that went missing from the costume shoppe" he whispered to his fellow performers, "and just look at what he's holding!" Feeling curious, everyone took a look at the figure and noticed they were holding their hands behind their back; supporting what looked like an odd hunch beneath her tunic. But before anyone could call her out on it, the skies echoed with the shrill whistle of a bagpipe's tune.

This noise suddenly caused the crowd to part slightly; revealing the kids, Miss Fiona McNair, her troupe and the security team standing in the back. "Sorry for all the noise, everyone" Officer Simmons said apologetically, "but we must ask you all to please, stand aside!" Upon being given this command, several patrons began roaring in defiance.

"We can't leave yet" said a little girl around six years old, "the show was just getting good." As much as it pained her to do so, Ms. McNair firmly urged the girl and her family to leave. "She is correct, Lords and Ladies" Haiku announced suddenly, "what you're seeing here is _not _part of a performance piece."

Before anyone could voice their disagreement, Lincoln stepped forth and pointed his bow towards the field. "Look well upon the jester, good people" he said emphatically, "for _she_ is the reason the Queen's guard hath been invading your persons mere moments ago!" Upon hearing the boy's words, the queen stood from her dais and demanded an explanation.

Meanwhile, Haiku took a glimpse at the jester for a split second and saw that they were slouching quite hostilely. This meant that the scene was starting to wear out on their nerves, which was just what she and her friends needed. With this in mind, she took her grandmother by the hand and made a casual stroll towards the queen; who was still eager to know what was going on.

"No doubt, Your Majesty; you have heard that the Golden Scepter has been stolen away, aye" questioned Ms. McNair, earning a collective nod from the court; "well...ma wee Granddaughter and her compatriots have brought some things to our attention on the matter." Upon hearing these words, the Jester began to grow even tenser by the moment. At the same time; Haiku, after earning the crowd's attention, began to explain everything.

"Someone among us is a thief, Lords and Ladies" she decreed, "more than that; they are the same who tried to ruin this faire once before, years past...all for her own selfish gain!" This news caused everyone to become quite antsy, wondering what sort of nutjob would want to ruin such a great place. "This same knave also sought out to tarnish the good name of someone many of you hold dear" Clyde declared in a dramatic tone of voice, "the Lady Fiona McNair."

For many of the patrons, this announcement was the straw that broke the camel's back. Theft, forcing security to perform body searches on each of them and endangering the faire were all bad enough. But throwing one of the faire's best performers under the bus for said theft was beyond inexcusable.

Then, at that moment; the strange jester let out a fierce and vicious roar of anger. "Why must you charlatans always ruin everything" the stranger demanded while pointing towards Fiona's group, "you just can't stand the fact that people are paying attention to _me _now...can you!?" This behavior caused the Queen's court to suddenly become quite suspicious of the stranger.

"Knights...surround this rogue" she commanded, "we wish to have a word with them." The jousting knights nodded in understanding and proceeded to surround the jester, while also wondering if this was all part of some sudden improvisational act. Then, just as they got within range; one of the knights suddenly noticed the hunch the stranger had on their back.

As they tried to move away, everyone could see it shifting around side-to-side. At first glance, everyone presumed that it was nothing more than a pillow shifting around. But then, they could hear the sounds of metal scrapping against the tunic's material; which made them feel even more suspicious of this stranger.

As "he" continued scooting backwards, the jester became so distracted in trying to find a way out that they ended up tripping over their own feet; landing unceremoniously in the sand on their side. When the dust cleared away, Haiku gasped when she caught a glimpse of the jester's neck; where she found a small black crescent moon tattoo. _"That's the same tattoo Officer Higgins mentioned" _she thought joyously, _"now, we've got you...you vile thief!"_

Back in the field, the jester had recovered from their fall just moments ago. They winced painfully while rubbing their sore back, hoping that their "prize" was undamaged. As the mysterious jester drew out the Golden Scepter from their tunic, both patrons and performers alike gasped in alarm.

Upon seeing the looks on their faces, the jester tried their best to "save themselves" and proclaimed that they simply took what was "rightfully theirs." "The prize goes to whoever wore the best costume in the costume contest, correct" the jester asked in a deep voice, "as it stands, _my_ attire is more authentic than whatever the lot of _you_ wearing!" Alas, much to the stranger's annoyance; their rantings went relatively unheard.

"There is no point in trying to slink away from this" Fiona said firmly, "why not preserve what remains of your 'dignity' and surrender peacefully...Madame?" Upon hearing the performer speak so gauchely; the jester fumed with rage and ripped off her mask, revealing the disgruntled face of one "Madame" Victoria Chapman. Needless to say; time was not very good to her, since the last time she "graced the shire with her presence."

Her face appeared stretched, as if it went through a facelift; her once beautiful hazel eyes had lost some of their luster and her grayish-blonde hair was now fully grey in sheen. Many young patrons recoiled in disgust, proclaiming she looked like "death warmed over...twice." But many of the performers, specifically the more seasoned ones, were quite surprised to see her. "

"VICTORIA! Is...Is it really you" cried the chamberlain in surprise, "it has been ages since you've graced our humble shire." With a fierce growl in her throat, Victoria glared at the man and told him to "stow it." "I could barely stomach the hammy acting from heathens like you, back in the 1980's" she shouted, "I refuse to hear it again _now!_"

Many of the actors on the scene grimaced bitterly at her attitude, some appearing unsurprised that she still acted like a total diva. In time, the rest of the security team arrived; along with Officers Simmons and Campos as well. When they caught sight of Victoria out on the field, many of them were quite shocked.

"I remember her" Campos cried in surprise, "my _Abuela_ was one of Victoria's biggest fans...before her studio cast her away." Upon being reminded of her "former glory," Victoria grew even angrier and began waving the scepter like a war club. "Silence! _None of you_ are fit to speak about my lost greatness" she raved, "I was once a star of the screen, one of the Company's best performers...until Madame Fate intervened and decided to take all that I held dear from me!"

The moment she said this, the disgraced actress fell to her knees and began to weep. But much to her surprise, she was met with only looks of disbelief from the crowd; not empathy. This infuriated Victoria, who proceeded to call everyone "uneducated" and "uncultured trash urchins."

"Oh...real mature move there, lady" Phoebe scoffed sarcastically, "calling people names when you're trying to gain their support...real smart." Cici couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's statement and said that it was a "real sick burn," while also high-fiving her. "The lass speaks the truth, Madame" Angus Blackwood declared, "you choose to blame me sister...blame _all of us _for your downfall; when it was _you_ and you alone who helped bring it all about!"

In that moment; Haiku, perhaps emboldened by the situation, stepped forward and glared daggers at Victoria. "Everyone here did everything they could to make you feel welcome, to help you start a new theatrical career" she exclaimed bitterly, "but all you did was talk everyone down!" Madame Victoria scoffed at Haiku's words, proclaiming that she refused to listen to a lowly child's criticism.

"All I wanted was try to give the public what they deserved" she said firmly, "an authentic experience that depicted the _true_ nature of the Renaissance period!" Upon hearing the word "authentic," many younger patrons (specifically children, tweens and teens) began to wonder what she was talking about. Meanwhile; many of the older patrons, some who've been attending since the beginning, revealed what Victoria truly wanted.

"This crazy hag wanted to take all the fun stuff outta the faire" a man dressed as a friar shouted, "I still remember when she tried to take turkey legs or bread bowls off the food menu and replace it with just barley gruel!" This reveal caused everyone to almost vomit with disgust, which made Victoria all the more furious. "Can't you fools take the truth" she exclaimed, "or would you prefer your lies and illusions filled with deep-fried foods, t-shirts and inaccurate attire?"

Unfortunately for her, this statement was met with the exact opposite type of response she was hoping for. Soon; many patrons, young and old, began roaring in defiance against her. "You call yourself an expert on the subject matter, 'Madame'" Haiku muttered in disapproval, "but you forget...the Faire is a place of merriment, whimsy and spectacle; education is only a small factor in it all."

Ms. McNair nodded in silent approval at her granddaughter's words, patted her head tenderly and proceeded to make her way towards her former colleague. As she drew closer, Victoria suddenly became more hostile and started waving the scepter about madly; as if it were a weapon. "Back away, you Scottish wench" she snarled, "it's because of _you_ that I've resorted to common thievery...YOU RUINED ME!"

Rather than be put out by Victoria's comments; Ms. McNair remained, surprisingly calm and offered up her hand in friendship. "I never wished to take your place _or_ your glory, Madame" she said sweetly, "I only wanted us to work together...to bring joy to everyone who would visit the faire." She then added that there was still hope for Victoria, a chance for her to truly regain her glory.

The rest of Fiona's troupe took their places beside her, each member also asking for Madame Victoria to surrender peacefully. "With my wife's skills and your knowledge, you could help make the faire an even more whimsical place" suggested Gareth, "so, Your Ladyship...what say you?" After this, all was silent; not even the trumpeters dared to sound off their horns, due to the thick tension in the air.

Meanwhile, many of the patrons were still convinced this was an act and proceeded to record it all for posterity on their cameras or phones. But at the same time, the Gal Pals and Guy Squad became quite tense; wondering who would make the next move. Finally; Victoria's body appeared to relax itself and she let out a deep, heaving sigh.

Afterwards, she held the scepter in the palms of her hands and gazed down upon it sadly; as if contemplating on everything that's transpired. For what felt like ages, everything remained as quiet and still as the grave. Then, Fiona watched as Victoria hung her head low; presumably in shame.

In _her_ mind, she considered this as a sign of surrender and was prepared to call the authorities over. But as Fiona turned herself around, a vicious scowl appeared on Victoria's face and everyone could see her hands clutching the handle of the Golden Scepter tightly. "BOLLOCKS TO THAT, YA GRUBBY SCOTTISH WANKER" she cried, her refined voice suddenly slipping into a cockney English tone; "I'd sooner perform at children's birthday party than work with the likes of you again!"

With that simple yet fierce declaration, she held the scepter high above her head and was moments away from striking Fiona down from behind. But then, five suction cup arrows suddenly whizzed through the air and struck Victoria at five different spots. The first one managed to hit her right between the eyes, leaving her mildly disoriented.

Meanwhile, the last four arrows managed to strike consecutively against Victoria's left wrist; causing her to lose her grip on the scepter. Once it managed to slip out of Victoria's hands, it fell down hard atop her head like a brick; thus knocking her out. The moment the disgraced actress/thief was defeated, everyone took immediate action.

"Knights, retrieve the scepter" the Queen commanded, "the guards shall deal with the thief themselves." With this command, a pair of knights hurried over and collected the Golden Scepter; while the security team proceeded to secure Victoria Chapman. It wasn't until she felt the cuffs tightening on her wrists that the fallen starlet snapped out of her daze.

With a fierce, cat-like snarl; Victoria tried to break herself free...but to no avail. "You're gonna do time for your little escapade, 'Madame'" Officer Higgins said firmly while mocking the woman's title, "hard time!" Once their perp was apprehended, the three officers proceeded to escort the now fully disgraced actress out to the parking lot; eager to report the crime to the station.

"Wait...I must know one thing, before you cast me away again" Victoria pleaded, "how did any of you even know I was here...I was in disguise and everything!" The moment she brought this up, Carol and Dana brought forth Victoria's trench-coat and held it up for all to see. "While inspecting your coat, 'Madame;' my friends discovered a few interesting clues" the blonde teen stated, "a hairpin in one of the pockets and some hair inside of the hat."

The moment these two examples were revealed, Victoria hung her head lower in shame; amazed that she overlooked such things while performing her scheme. _"Foiled by children" _she wailed mentally, _"now, I have truly hit my lowest point!" _Not long after that, several patrons started to surround her; each one appearing incredibly sore with her.

"So...wait, you were that creep in the trench-coat" exclaimed a teen dressed as an orc, "_you're_ the one who tried to throw away my ax!?" Not long after this, a young female patron complained that Victoria also knocked her princess cap off her head and proceeded to crush it in the dirt; proclaiming it to be "historically inaccurate." Soon, several other patrons began voicing anything and everything Victoria tried to steal from them or destroy while in disguise.

"Oh-ho-ho! This makes things all the more interesting" chuckled Simmons, "wait until the chief hears our police report!" With that said, she and her partners resumed in escorting Madame Victoria off the premises; who was now kicking and screaming with outrage. "You heathens can't do this to me, _I'm_ Madame Victoria Chapman" she roared, "I made more money in one hour than all of you make within fifteen minutes!"

Alas, much to her disappointment; no one appeared intimidated by her ravings. "Look on the bright side, _Señora_" Campos said coyly, "after what you did here today...the whole state of Michigan will know your name now." As the crowd watched the fallen starlet turned criminal be led away from the area, Fiona and her troupe couldn't help but pity her a little.

"She could've found satisfaction with smaller acting venues like we have" murmured Angus, "but she expected too much for herself...shame." Ms. Abercrombie and Ms. Haggard couldn't help but agree, while also keeping their secret feelings hidden. _"At least she won't be criticizin' our clothes no more"_ the former thought mentally, _"I know it be wrong of me to say it...but tis the truth."_

(Line Break)

Sometime later, everyone was gathering at the Queen's Stage; where a special event was taking place. There; the queen asked Fiona, her troupe of performers, the Gal Pals and the Guy Squad to come stand alongside her before the crowd. Naturally; the kids all felt shy about it, at first.

But after a little encouragement from Ms. McNair, they agreed and all took their places beside the queen on her stage. For about half a minute, the children shared a few bows or curtsies towards the audience; which caused them to go into a wild cheer. After witnessing everything that happened earlier; these young ladies and gents were all hailed as heroes, in their eyes.

Among those cheering for them were Lincoln's own parents and a few of his sisters, who were all weeping happily with joy for them. Upon seeing their emotional display; Lincoln smiled at them, removed his bycoket cap and bowed graciously in thanks for everyone's applause. The rest of Lincoln's "Merry Men" did the same thing, which caused the Gals to giggle a little; thinking that they were really getting into their characters.

After a while, the Queen soon took the stage and raised her hand high; causing everyone to suddenly fall silent. "Today, we honor the efforts of these brave souls" she said proudly, "thanks to them; the Golden Scepter is safe with us once more!" This caused everyone to erupt into a wild fit of cheers.

"With the combined efforts of Ms. McNair, her merry troupe of bards and these children; a vile thief has been cast out of our great realm" the queen added, "it is for that reason that I wish to make the following announcement." With that, she looked to the side and first called for Fiona to step forward.

Despite feeling mildly self-conscious at first, she eventually complied; greeting the crowd with a quick yet respectful curtsy. In time, the Queen thanked Fiona for not only her aid in stopping Victoria but also for her many years of service to the shire. "In honor of all the joy, merriment and selfless dedication you have given to the realm, we wish to name you our Lady-in-Waiting" offered the Queen, "what say you to this honor?"

To say that everyone was taken aback by this would be putting it mildly. In truth; Fiona was so surprised by this offer, she almost fell over in shock. The moment she stumbled slightly, the crowd couldn't help but laugh a little; thinking that she knew just how to lighten up a situation.

At the same time, Gareth and the rest of the troupe were anxious to hear Fiona's reply. "Just think, lads" whispered Ms. Haggard, "if Fiona accepts, she could become even more famous than that old sod, Victoria!" The others giggled excitedly, hoping that their friend/colleague/kinfolk would say yes to the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Haiku was also left awestruck by the Queen's request; wondering if her grandmother would accept it. Finally, after taking a moment to collect herself; Fiona faced the Queen and bowed her head low. "Your Grace, I am...truly honored by your proposal" she murmured, "but...I'm afraid I must respectfully refuse it."

This announcement caused everyone, patron and performer alike, to gasp loudly with surprise. A moment later, Fiona turned towards the crowd and asked for a moment of silence; which they happily granted her. "Make no mistake, Your Grace; standing as your Lady would be a tremendous honor" she stated, "but...at the moment, I am content with where I am."

To elaborate, Fiona explained that her greatest joy in the shire has long been walking amongst the patrons/shire-folk. "I adore singing, dancing, laughing and making merry with them" she stated, "if I were to be part of your attendants...I would have few opportunities to do so with them." After saying all this, all was silent; which left Fiona feeling quite nervous.

Then, the Queen stood before her with a bright smile and nodded in understanding. "I cannot deprive the people of someone who has brought so much joy to them" she decreed, "still, in the future...you may wish to join me." Fiona bellowed out a delightfully raucous laugh, gave the Queen a curtsy and proclaimed that she would "happily consider the option for the future."

"Besides...I am not the one whom we should honor, this day" she said stoically, "were it not for ma dear granddaughter and her comrades here, the Golden Scepter would've been lost to us forever." There was a light murmur of agreement from the Queen, the members of her court, the knights and all the other performers present. The whole time they were talking, the Gal Pals and Guy Squad couldn't help but wonder what they were all saying.

Then, after everything went silence once more; the Queen asked for the chamberlain to bring her the Golden Scepter. Upon being given it, moments later; she approached the children and asked them to kneel. Despite feeling a tad nervous about their situation, everyone did as they were told and bowed their heads respectfully.

Then, with the Golden Scepter held tight in her hand, the Queen proceeded to wave it side-to-side three times over; as if she were knighting the children. "As queen of our fair shire" she began, "I hereby name these young lads and lasses...Champions of the Court!" This announcement caused everyone to cheer madly with delight.

At the same time however, the kids all couldn't help but wonder what was going on. "Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the Queen said all that" questioned Dana, "I'm a tad confused." As if sensing the children's confusion, Fiona approached them and began handing something to each of them.

At first glance, these looked like ordinary ID cards. But Fiona's bandmates assured them all that they were far more than that. "These cards allow you VIP entry into the Faire for the entire summer season" said Ms. Abercrombie, "tis our token of thanks for your involvement in helping catch Victoria...thank ye, wee ones."

Upon being told the true nature of the cards, the kids suddenly erupted into a wild frenzy of delight. "This is awesome" cried Cristina, "but wait...will our families allow us to come back for the rest of the season?" Soon after she said this; Mrs. Loud got on the stage, hugged Lincoln tightly and congratulated everyone on their efforts.

"To answer your question, dear; Lincoln's more than welcome to attend" she assured, "and after word of all this gets out...I'm willing to bet that the rest of your parents will feel the same way." With that settled, the Gals and Guys resumed their earlier cheering frenzy. After taking a moment to let everything sink in, Haiku turned towards the camera to address the viewer on her final thoughts.

"Here I thought things were going to end terribly for everyone" she murmured, "but thanks to me and my friends; the scepter is safe, the crook has been caught and now...we get to enjoy the faire for the rest of the summer!" Upon saying these words, Haiku swiped away a joyful tear from her eye and sighed blissfully; thinking things couldn't get any better. Just then, everyone's cheering was brought to a sudden halt; when they heard the sounds of a lutes and/or mandolins playing.

They all looked to the side and saw Luna standing beside Gregor McDuffie, who were both playing a familiar tune. The moment she heard the music, Haiku knew that the time had come to rejoin the celebration. "I'll touch base with you guys later" she stated, "right now...I need as much faire fun I can handle, if I want to be satiated until the next weekend!"

With that, she bade the viewer a final farewell and rejoined everyone in the celebration. The moment they recognized the melody that was being played, Lincoln pumped his fist in the air and rallied his friends to join him in the song.

(Lincoln)

_When they come tough, we treat them rough_

_(The Guys)_

_With our little bow and arrow_

_(Nine of the Ten Gal Pals)_

_Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, we fear no foe_

_(Haiku, Fiona and her Troupe)_

_With their little bow and arrow!_

(First AN: Thus, both this particular multi-part oneshot and the Summer Arc for A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals comes to an end and with a BIG bang to boot. But what does the future hold for our favorite friend group? Tune in next time, to learn the answers and so much more.)

(Second AN: In some areas of the real world, whenever something serious occurs; police and/or security officials either perform pat downs, cavity searches or use metal detector wands on them. This is all necessary to make certain nobody has anything illegal or stolen on their person. I used this sort of scenario for this final part of Rascally Rennies, due to the events of Part Three's cliffhanger.

I hoped I made the scenario believable for you all, folks; particularly the bomb scare thing Dana mentioned.)

(Third AN: To give your imaginations on what Madame Victoria looks like after so much time had passed, her face resembles something akin to Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians or Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. But the real kicker here is...after Victoria got her facelift; she makes the other two look Sports Illustrated models, by comparison.)

(Fourth AN: I know there wasn't much Ren Faire fun in this chapter compared to the other parts of this oneshot. But considering the circumstances of the situation, the Gals and Guys really wanted to capture the crook behind everything. Plus, everyone loves a good mystery.)

(Final AN: As mentioned above, this is not the end of the fanfic; just the end of the Summer Arc of oneshot stories. Soon, we will be entering into the Fall Arc; which will include a campout story, a story revolving around Lincoln's birthday and even Halloween story...not necessarily in that order. Be sure to stay alert for any and all future developments.

Thank you for your patience and support, have fun reading.)


	10. Birthday Blowout with the Gal Pals

Birthday Blowout with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: As Summer Break slowly reaches its end; our favorite gals are in the midst of putting together one final bash; Lincoln's Birthday Bash, to be precise. But while all this is going on; everyone will need to keep the birthday boy distracted long enough for them to prepare. Will Lincoln find out about the party and how will he react, when he sees a group of familiar faces among the other party guests?)

In the blink of an eye, Summer Break seemed to have come and gone incredibly quick for the children of Royal Woods. After three months of beachside fun, pool parties, outdoor merriment and other activities; the time they dreaded most was drawing ever nearer...the first day of school. However, much to the children's relief; there was still one final week of freedom left and they were going to savor it.

But while most of these children did their own things, our favorite crew of gals were yet to be seen among them. Then, one day; a lone figure dressed in a hoodie was tiptoeing around the neighborhood. Despite it being the early morning, this figure walked and hid herself within different areas of town like it was the dead of night.

Finally, the figure reached their destination, a familiar two-storey house. They made their way towards the front door and gave a sort of rhythmic knock. All was silent for a few seconds, afterwards; then, the door opened and the figure stepped into the house.

Once inside; a dog excitedly barked at the figure, rushed forward and knocked them down to the floor. Then, the hound proceeded to lick the figure's hoodie affectionately; causing them to let out a feminine laugh. "Okay, Ajax...oh-ho-ho-kay" the figure giggled in a familiar voice, "I'm happy to see you too."

After being allowed to get back onto her feet, the figure is then surrounded by a group of...very familiar females; who seem to be staring at her with mildly annoyed glares. "It's about time you got here" groaned Paige with a soft groan, "we've been waiting forever for you, Jordan." Upon hearing her name, the figure drew back her hood to show the familiar face of "Girl Jordan."

"Sorry, everybody" she giggled sheepishly, "but I had to make sure I wasn't being followed." Everyone looked at one another in silence, shared a slight nod in understanding and asked for Jordan to take her seat on the living room sofa. "Great, everyone's finally present and accounted for" Carol announced with a smile, "now...we can begin the meeting."

Sometime after school ended for Summer Break, Lincoln shared one of the more positive experiences he had with his family; Emergency Sibling/Family Meetings. During such events; Lori, the eldest of the sisters, would oversee the meeting and present any important topics that needed to be discussed. These topics would range from things of mild importance, like discussing/deciding what color a specific room should be redecorated in, to more dire subjects.

These would involve either important family/friend business, a family member being in trouble or discussing plans for an important occasion. After Lincoln shared this concept with all of them, the Gal Pals decided to hold Emergency Meetings of their own, which some of them have dubbed "Gal Pal Pow-Wows." "Okay, Gals" Carol cried out, "I hereby call this Pow-Wow to order."

After this, Whitney was given the floor and started off the meeting with a small piece of "old business." "I am pleased to report that the mall is offering discount sales for Back to School outfits" she cried with glee, "I even saw a new top there that would totes look adorable on you, Carol." Upon hearing this announcement, Carol smiled coyly at her bestie and declared she knew about the top long ago.

Then, she hurried out the door towards her van at the curb and collected something from inside. When she came back in the house, she took a moment to step into the downstairs bathroom. When Carol returned, moments later; she was seen wearing an entirely new look.

Her new top was black with a red collar, gold buttons and red rims at the end of her short sleeves. Instead of her usual checkered skirt, she sported a pair of Khaki jeans and she had a red hair clip in her hair. Upon closer inspection, everyone could see images of Boyz Will Be Boyz on it.

"You like, Gals" Carol asked eagerly, "I also got these jeans with the top; part of a 'Buy One, Get One Free' deal." Naturally, her posse extended some warm compliments towards their friend's new look. Even some of the preteen members of the Gal Pals couldn't help but admire it. "Hold up there" Stella called out suddenly, "why would _you_ go to a 'Back to School Sale,' Carol; didn't you and your friends graduate from High School before Break?"

This revelation caused the other Gal Pals to look upon Carol curiously. After a while, the blonde teen giggled sheepishly and confessed that Stella spoke the truth. But she added that with college being on the horizon, she needed a new look for it. "I mean...I'm not sure if you ladies ever heard this before" she murmured, "but...for some time, some people have often said Lori and I almost look the same."

This statement caused the likes of Phoebe, Stella, Jordan and even Whitney to playfully say things like "no...is that so" or "I never really noticed it." "I'm serious, everybody" Carol said firmly, "after what happened between Linky and his sisters back in March, the last thing I want is for people to call me her clone or something!" From here, she said she wanted to greet the New Year with a whole new look.

"We don't doubt your reasoning, Carol" Becky stated, "but...were black and red really the right color choices for you?" No sooner had the teen said all this, a certain young Gothic member of their group appeared seemingly out of nowhere; startling the others. "Okay...first of all, the colors red and black aren't that odd looking" murmured Haiku "second of all, I think we are getting a bit off-track here."

Upon hearing this, the Gal Pals' collective minds snapped back to normal and each of them quickly got back down to business. "Thank you for the reminder, Haiku" Carol said gratefully, "the time has come to get to the point of our meeting, Gals." Before continuing, she took out her phone and brought up an image of a calendar.

On this calendar, everyone could see the first days of September on the upcoming weekend days. Not long after that, they also saw a pair of star icons and a few birthday emojis on Saturday's date. "There's a birthday coming up soon" Carol announced, "and not just any birthday; it's our special little man, Lincoln's twelfth B-Day!"

This announcement created quite a buzz from the group, to say the least. "The lil' dude's turning twelve" Cici cried in surprise, "but...I'm thirteen and a half, how could he be getting close to _my _age?" The Gals couldn't help but laugh heartily at her exclamation; reminding their friend that this year showed all of them one fundamental fact about Lincoln Loud...that he was full of surprises.

"Moving on; his B-Day, coincidentally enough, happens to fall on the last free weekend before school starts for some of us" Carol added, "you can all thank Mr. and Mrs. Loud for sharing this info with me." Curious, Dana raised her hand and asked why the specifics of the date mattered for this occasion. "I think I've got a good idea" Jordan interjected, "Carol wants to put on a big shindig for Lincoln's special day, one last hurrah before half of us go back to the old grind."

With a proud laugh in her throat, the aforementioned teen proceeded to sound off a chime from her cellphone; indicating that Jordan was correct. "So, what are we talkin' about here" inquired Phoebe, "Pizza Party, Bowling Party...any specific type of entertainers in mind?" Now, each of her ideas were relatively good; in their own different ways.

But considering how much Lincoln had endured before summer arrived and how close he became with each of them throughout Summer Break, the other Gals considered doing something _really_ special for him to say thanks. Their first idea was holding a party down at Gus', mainly for nostalgia sake. But Whitney proclaimed that they'd just went there three weeks ago and was still working off the pizza and garlic knots.

"Why not have a theme party" Cristina suggested, "but then...should it be an ARRGH theme, an Ace Savvy one or...maybe something else he likes?" The Gals considered the idea carefully until moments later, they declined it; proclaiming that such a thing would prove too difficult or too confusing to make simply _one_ choice. "Why not take a trip to Dairy Land" Paige suggested, "I imagine he'd get to be first in line on all the rides, since it's his birthday."

At first, everyone thought this would be a great idea to try. But after doing a quick web search, the Gals saw something that almost made their eyes pop. "I'm sorry...holding a birthday party costs _how much _there" Becky cried, "even with all ten of us, our parents and all the guests pitching in, it's _still _too expensive!"

In addition to this, they realized that not everyone might enjoy such a place; due to the intense nature of the thrill rides, massive crowds and long line queues always being a pain. With that idea sunk, the Gals went back to thinking up new ideas. At one point; Jordan's mother entered the room, holding what looked like a tray of cookies in her hands.

"Hello, girls; heard you were having a sort of 'meeting' together" she said with a light giggle, "so, I took the liberty of whipping up some snickerdoodles for you." Naturally, this offer pleased the group immensely and they happily welcomed it with open arms...and mouths. As she watched some of them began to nibble away at the cookies, Jordan's mother asked what they were all discussing about.

"Well, Mom...the truth is...we're kind of stuck on something" sighed Jordan, "we're trying to think up ideas on what to do for Lincoln's birthday...but everything we come up with is either too expensive, too predictable or too confusing to think of anything specific." Truly, the Gals all felt that they were caught between a rock and a hard place with this one. Then, at that moment; everyone could hear the sound of someone laughing at them.

It didn't take long for them to see that it was Jordan's mother doing it all. "All due respect, Ma'am; it's rude to laugh at someone else's dilemma" Cristina said firmly, "this is a serious matter we're dealing with." Within seconds, Jordan's mother calmed herself down and apologized for her behavior.

"I was merely laughing at the irony of this whole thing" she said bluntly, "you're all are so worried about not finding a party idea, you've forgotten one that's right out in front of you." After this, she made a sweeping gesture towards the outside of their house; specifically towards their pool. After about five seconds, the Gals all understood her point and facepalmed themselves; all while muttering "we are so stupid."

"It's totes obvious, now; ladies" giggled Dana, "how did we not see it earlier...we'll throw a poolside birthday bash!" This idea brought the rest of the group into a deep discussion, with some of them being a little hesitant on it and others whooping happily in agreement. "We haven't had a pool party here since Spring Break" Paige, "that was all so much fun!"

After giggling in agreement, Phoebe took out her camera phone and started playing clips from said party. Upon seeing the ones featuring Lincoln's cannonball, his karaoke performance and him becoming "hot under the collar" from Dana asking him to rub lotion on her back; the gang burst out into a fit of jolly laughter. "Wow, ladies" chuckled Cici, "those were some great times eh? I vote yes on Dana and Mrs. Rosato's idea!"

Mere seconds after this, Paige sided with the idea as well. Following her was Phoebe, Becky, Whitney, Cristina even Haiku agreed to it. Only Carol and Jordan remained, who both appeared to be undecided.

"Just think, one last pool party before school starts" urged Paige, "who wouldn't want that?" Upon hearing her tone, the two ladies quickly assured everyone that they didn't think the idea was bad. "It's just...I love our pool parties here, really" Jordan sighed, "but...what do you think, Mom; would holding a B-Day pool party for Lincoln be too much for us here?"

Now, there were many times where Mrs. Rosato didn't allow her daughter to have such a get-together at a drop of a hat. Not only was setting up all the different food stations and fun stations (like the tattoo booth, face painting station or the music) quite a bit to do; as her daughter said. But such a thing was mostly reserved for big engagements; like breaks during the warmer seasons or when the children simply want a fun day to unwind.

But after thinking things over from front to back, Mrs. Rosato came to a realization. This _would_ indeed, be the kids' last pool party for the season _and_ it was for an important occasion; the birthday of one of her daughter's dearest friends. The moment Lincoln came into mind, Mrs. Rosato immediately thought of everything he'd been through with these girls and how much they've helped each other out this past year.

Just as she was about to make her decision, Carol stepped forth and bowed her head. "Ma'am; as one of Lincoln's four legal guardians, I happily offer whatever help you might require" she offered, "just as we did back during Spring Break." Not long after this; Becky, Whitney and Dana echoed her same words and offered _their _services as well.

This touched Mrs. Rosato's heart immensely but at the same time, she still needed to remain firm yet fair. "We'll hold the party here" she said with a smile, "but...in exchange, I will need _all _of you to help me prepare." After this, she began setting up tasks for everyone; from setting up the party décor to managing things like the sub station.

"I also have a few conditions" Mrs. Rosato added, "the party will be supervised at _all_ times, all parents must agree to lending a hand, each of you will help clean up at the end _and_...someone will need to keep the birthday boy distracted." While the idea of doing garbage cleanup felt icky to some of them (specifically Whitney and Dana,) the Gals understood that this was all for their pal and decided to swallow their disgust (for the moment.) "We've got ya covered on all that, Ma'am" Becky assured, "as for the distraction, we've got just the thing."

With that; she pulled out her phone from her purse, brought up the phonebook and speed-dialed her desired number.

(Line Break)

In the next day or so, the Gals were hard at work in collecting everything they needed to set up the party. Meanwhile, in another part of town; Lincoln was sitting down with his guy friends at the McBride house. There, Lincoln was presenting an idea for another team of heroes he wished to share with Bill Buck; in hopes of adding them to the Ace Savvy universe..._"La Familia Loteria."_

"I got the idea from some stories Ronnie Anne shared with me during our web chat sessions" he explained, "apparently, the game is...kinda, sorta like American Bingo." Curious yet doubtful, Rusty questioned him on how similar the games truly were. "Well, from what she told me; you try to make a matching pattern upon the board" Lincoln replied, "but instead of putting chips on number squares, you put beans on pictures."

He then brought up a picture of a _Loteria_ game board on his phone and showed it to everyone. While the boys didn't quite understand the Spanish terms; they _did_ however, recognize many of the images. "Hold on there, pardner" Liam interjected, "how can ya make heroes based on this here game?"

In response to this, Lincoln mentioned the idea of Lucha Libre and how he wanted to blend the nature of that sport with his Loteria inspired characters. "See, each member of _La Familia Loteria_ is dressed in a sort of Mexican Wrestler look" he explained, "and each of their identities is based off a card from Loteria." As an example, he showed them all Ronnie Anne's counterpart; La Alacrán."

"This is cool and all" murmured Zach, "but we thought you already gave her a superhero persona, Madame Roulette?" Lincoln nodded slightly and revealed that _this_ character would be used in his Double Draw storyline. "In the other universe, she's taken up a different identity" he stated, "and each of her family members also has one."

He then showed off a series of character sheets for each member of La Familia Loteria, from Mrs. Santiago/La Arpa down to little Carlitos/El Rana In addition to these images, Lincoln also placed English translations for each character in parenthesis. When Clyde got a look at Bobby's character, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Dude...seriously, I can't believe it" he gasped between laughs, "of all names, why give him something like 'The Palm...' which is basically a palm tree." Lincoln chuckled sheepishly and admitted that after doing some research, it was the best idea he could think of. "Truth is, I looked up the meaning behind each card image" Lincoln explained, "and my sources said that La Palma represents hard work and pleasing others."

Upon hearing this explanation, the Guy Squad slowly began to understand their pal's logic. "Still, these are some cool looking costumes" Rusty admitted, "I especially love Carlotta's." After giving off a flirtatious growl, he showed the girl's superhero look to the others. She appeared to be wearing a luchadora uniform with a mask that showed of the image of a white heron on the forehead.

This same image was seen on the front of her leotard and on her cape. "In case you're wondering...no, the capes are just for show; they don't make them fly" Lincoln said bluntly, "_but..._each of them _does_ have unique powers/abilities based upon whatever Loteria image they've chosen." He then described Ronnie Anne's character as someone with MMA fighter level combat skills, which greatly intrigued the boys.

"Her punches and jabs are so hard, bad guys say they feel like scorpion stings" Lincoln said with nerdy glee, "hence her heroine name, Alacrán." With this info, the boys were able to piece together what the rest of the family's abilities were. Needless to say, they liked what they saw. "This is awesome" Clyde exclaimed, "you've _got_ to put these guys in the next issue of Double Draw!"

Lincoln nodded with great pride and declared that he already had the idea in mind. "I wonder what the Gals would think" he asked, "I should ring up Carol and show her." The moment they heard him say this, the boys quickly tackled Lincoln down before he could get to his phone. "OW! Jeez, guys...what's up with the sudden dogpile" groaned the young Loud boy, "I was just getting my phone!"

The boys swiftly yet softly chastised themselves for what they did, making certain Lincoln didn't overhear them. "Uh...Sorry, dude" Rusty chuckled sheepishly, "it's just...why spoil the surprise so soon, when you've yet to put the idea to paper yet?" Clyde nodded in agreement with him and urged Lincoln to wait until he's put the final touches to the characters to show the Gals anything.

"You've got a point there, guys" Lincoln admitted, "but it'll probably take another day or two for the sheets to be finished up." He also added that he was in need of new art supplies, after using up his current stock working on the pictures he had. "Let's head down to the crafts store" Zach suggested, "I think I heard they've got some new colored pencils in stock, some packs even have gold and silver ones."

This news caused Lincoln's eyes to sparkle with delight. If he had gold or silver colored pencils, who knew what he could create. "Sounds like a plan, dude" Rusty interjected, "maybe I'll look for some model supplies too." With that said, everyone got up from the floor and headed out for the Art Supply store.

As Lincoln took the lead, the boys hung back slightly to whisper amongst themselves. "Remember, guys; we need to keep Lincoln distracted" Clyde murmured, "don't let him catch on that the others are putting together his party." The other three boys nodded in silent agreement while also zipping their lips, as if to say they wouldn't speak a word of it to Lincoln.

At that moment, the Guy Squad suddenly heard him calling them from outside; urging them not to dawdle. "We're coming, pardner" Liam shouted back, "don't you worry none." After that, the trio collected themselves and raced out the door; hoping they wouldn't run into any of the party preppers at the crafts store.

(Scene Change: Downtown Royal Woods)

Some time later, the boys were seen walking through town; two of whom appeared to be carrying a bag in their hands. "AWESOME! I've got all the supplies I need to finish the next Double Draw issue, now" Lincoln chuckled with glee, "a shame we couldn't find any of those pencil packs Zach mentioned." While still trying not to appear suspicious, Clyde nodded slightly in agreement; claiming he hoped to use the silver pencil to stylize his binder.

"There's always next time, dude" Rusty assured, "where do ya wanna go next?" After giving it a little thought, Lincoln considered popping by the park; hoping to catch sight of his parents and sisters doing some community service work...just so he could say "hi." "That's a real sweet idea" Clyde said with a smile, "plus, who doesn't like a nice walk in the park?"

The other three boys considered the idea for a moment and soon, they too decided to go along with their pals. "Thanks a bunch, guys" Lincoln said gratefully, "I really appreciate your company; especially if some of my sisters may still have a fire in their bellies...if ya catch my drift." The boys shivered slightly in fear, dreading the idea of being caught in the crosshairs of the Loud Sisters' wrath.

After taking a moment to shake the idea from their heads, they proceeded on their way towards Ketchum Park. While in the midst of their walk, the boys could see clear signs of Fall approaching. The leaves in the trees were changing color, the squirrels were busily storing food into said trees and the park didn't appear quite as crowded.

"Nice to have the park to ourselves, eh" Lincoln sighed blissfully, "well...almost; with the exception of a few people here and there." The boys nodded in agreement, relishing in the peaceful serenity of the atmosphere. But soon, Rusty couldn't help but think that something felt...a little off.

"It's too quiet here" Lincoln murmured, "sure, there's people playing and such...but it just feels too normal here." The others couldn't help but agree, which led them to also wonder if Lincoln's hunch about his family being here was incorrect. Just then, Lincoln looked ahead and spotted what looked like Officer Schoffner; sitting on a bench.

Now; he wasn't quite on the same level of familiarity with _her_ as he was with Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos. But after all the help she gave him before and during the trial, Lincoln was on...some friendly terms with Schoffner. Thus, he decided to go over and greet her; much to the surprise of his friends.

"Good morning, Officer" Lincoln greeted casually yet respectfully, "anything unusual going on here?" At first, the police woman stared firmly at the young man; trying to appear serious. But then; after seeing that not many people were around, she dropped her guard a little and smiled.

"Good morning, Mr. Loud" Schoffner greeted casually, "everything appears fine here...why do you ask?" In response to this, Lincoln confessed that he thought he would come across his family in the park during their walk. Upon hearing this, Schoffner frowned and said that they hadn't been at the park for a while.

"I saw them cleaning litter here three days ago" she admitted, "after that, things have been quiet...much to the relief of everyone here." Lincoln and his guy friends couldn't help but chuckle at Schoffner's little joke, even _she_ found it a little funny and giggled. "Thank you for the news, Officer" Lincoln said gratefully, "if you _do_ happen to see my parents or sister around, could you tell them I said hello?"

Schoffner smiled warmly at the boy, gave him a quick nod and thanked him for his consideration. "Best move along, boys" she ordered gently, "need to keep a lookout for any litterbugs and rabble-rousers out there." Lincoln and his pals nodded in understanding, wished the officer well and proceeded back on their walk.

"What should we do after this, guys" Lincoln murmured, "head off to the arcade or to the Burpin' Burger for some lunch?" At first, the boys said nothing; while their minds were momentarily caught in a whirlwind of mild anxiety. On one hand, they thought about denying both of their bestie's ideas; inwardly speculating that some of the party preppers might be there.

But then, they suddenly heard the combined sounds of each of their stomachs gurgling; which caused Clyde to blush timidly. "Heh-heh...guess the walk is really working up my appetite" he murmured, "lunch actually sounds like a good idea right now." After a while, each of the boys came to a unanimous agreement and voted yes on Linc's plan.

"Great, they should be putting out the lunch menu right now" Lincoln said with glee, "I've been anxious to try this new plant-based burger Cristina and Jordan told me they've been advertising." Upon hearing about a "plant-based" burger, Rusty suddenly groaned with disgust; thinking it would taste like tofu or something worse.

But then, he suddenly felt Liam slap him in the back of the head slightly; snapping him out of it. "Ow! Dude" cried Rusty, "what the heck did you do that for?" Liam offered him no verbal response, only a firm stare that seemed to say "stick to the plan."

After letting out a defeated yet soft groan, he relented and resumed following Lincoln down the rest of the walking path. Meanwhile, Schoffner remained seated upon her bench; staring intently at the four boys as they wandered off into the distance. Then, the moment they were far enough out of view; she took out her walkie-talkie and pressed her thumb on the button.

"The rabbit has fled the burrow" she whispered softly, "I repeat, the rabbit has fled the burrow; do you read?" After only seven seconds of waiting, her walkie-talkie fuzzed softly and a familiar voice spoke on the other end. _"I read you loud and clear, Ma'am" _said a young female voice on the other end, _"any idea where the boys are heading off to now?"_

Without missing a beat, Schoffner mentioned everything she heard from the boys' earlier discussion. "I think they plan on heading down to the Burpin' Burger" she stated, "would this be a problem?" After a moment of silence, a male voice on the other end said she had nothing to worry about.

_"Grant's almost done with _his _end of the plan" _a male voice assured, _"once the boys get there, he'll act perfectly natural."_ Schoffner murmured in understanding, wished the caller on the other end good luck and was about to end things there. But she stopped herself, suddenly; wishing to make one last reminder for the caller.

"Make sure everyone keeps there noses clean over there" she said firmly, "and remember to save me some cake like we agreed."

(Line Break)

It was now Friday morning in Royal Woods, the last Friday of Freedom Lincoln would have before school starts and he was planning on making the best of every hour. "Best not exhaust myself too much today" Lincoln chuckled while jumping out of bed, "come tomorrow morning, it'll be my birthday and I'll get to have even more fun!" With all this in mind, he couldn't help but perform a little victory dance.

Yet, at the same time; something had been nagging at him in the back of his head. Throughout most of the week, he began to notice a lot of things that seemed a bit..."out of place." First, there was Officer Schoffner's news about his family not being at the park for clean up duty.

At first, he felt that they simply weren't assigned such a task that day and were at another part of town. But after leaving the Burpin' Burger, Lincoln asked to go see another part of downtown; specifically the area where Luan once performed her "Paint the Town Red" prank the one year. Upon their arrival, though; the boys (particularly Lincoln) were surprised by what they saw.

Not only was every house and/or establishment cleaned completely of any unwanted red paint. But each of them was also given a new paint job, making the buildings look just like new. At one point, Lincoln spotted a nearby produce store owner and asked if _she_ saw any signs of the Loud Family.

"You're their boy, Lincoln; right" the woman inquired, "in any case; they left here days ago, did a real nice job with the painting too." Upon hearing this news, Lincoln felt mildly conflicted about it. On the one hand, he was proud of all the work his parents and sisters did here.

But on the other hand, this was the second time he didn't see them around town. "Don't worry, dude" Zach murmured reassuringly, "they might probably be back at _your_ house right now." The moment this idea was presented; the grocer revealed that a trio of officers picked them up in their cars, once they were all done.

Now; it didn't take long for the boys to realize that it was Ms. Higgins, Simmons and Campos who picked Lincoln's family up. But at the moment, the aforementioned Loud boy didn't know if they were simply giving them a police escort to home or to the family's next assignment. "I'm sure they're okay, buddy" Clyde said reassuringly, "why don't we pop by the Burnt Bean for a little calming tea before we continue our walk."

For a moment or two, Lincoln considered the idea. Then, he realized he might be getting worried over nothing and felt that a little tea would be just the thing to calm him. "Sounds like a great idea, dude" Lincoln chuckled, "lead the way."

With that said, the boys went off on their way to find the town's resident trendy coffee shop; the Burnt Bean. Then, once they turned down the corner, the grocer took out her phone and pressed the speed dial button. After it rang for almost ten seconds, a young voice picked up on the other end and asked "hello?"

"Cristina, honey; I just saw the boys here" the grocer whispered, "they're on their way to the Burnt Bean, as we speak." As the camera cuts to the woman's phone, it shows an image of Cristina on the other end. Behind her, several people (young and/or old) are seen running about hither and yon with arms full of random supplies.

"Thanks for the heads up, Mom" she said with a wave, "I think we're just about finished setting up everything here." The grocer smiled warmly at her daughter and congratulated everyone on their hard work. "It won't be long now, Mom" Cristina said with a joyful giggle, "I think Lincoln is _really_ going to love this party."

Just as she was about to say goodbye and hang up, Cristina's mother stopped her for a moment; claiming she had one final bit of news to share. "Seems that the birthday boy's been very eager to cross paths with his family today" she stated, "I don't blame him, of course; considering how busy your summer together has been for both sides...but still." Cristina nodded in understanding and hoped that Lincoln wasn't getting the wrong idea about things.

"It won't be long now, Mom" she stated, "by tomorrow morning, Linc will be in for the surprise of his life." The grocer smiled slightly at her daughter and prayed that things would turn out the way she hoped. "I'll make sure to bring _my_ supplies over this afternoon, once my shift is over" she stated, "make sure to tell Mrs. Rosato that for me."

The young redhead nodded in response, thanked her mother for all her help and signed off. But the moment the call ended, Cristina couldn't help but feel a little worried. Then, at that moment; someone approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation" said the mystery person, "but don't worry, Lincoln is totally going to love this surprise." Cristina smiled warmly at the person and thanked her for helping lift her spirits. After that, she picked up her supplies and hurried back out the door; eager to finish up preparing.

(Line Break)

Friday morning finally came and down at the Loud House, Lincoln Loud was simply glowing with excitement. "Today's the day, dude" he said to his reflection in the mirror, "your big B-Day is here and can't wait to party down!" After saying this; he crawled over to his favorite plushie, Bun-Bun and mimicked the words "Happy Birthday Lincoln" in a high-pitched voice while moving its head like a puppet.

"Heh-heh! Thanks for that, buddy" Lincoln in his normal voice, "you ready to have some fun today?" Rather than do the voice again, he simply moved the head up and down in a sort of "nodding" gesture. Then, Lincoln's eye slowly turns towards the "screen" and he softly blushes.

"Hey, don't you judge me" he murmured at the "viewer," "I may be getting one year older...but you're never too old for the 'kid stuff' you love." With that said, he took out his laptop and prepared to bring up the video chat; hoping to touch base with all of his best pals. But much to his surprise; the moment he tried to contact Clyde, Lincoln saw the words "user has failed to answer your call" beneath his profile picture.

Next, he tried the Rusty's line; hoping that _he_ would be available for some fun. But once again, Lincoln was met with the same message; "user has failed to answer your call." From Liam to Zach right up to each member of the Gal Pals, Lincoln was unable to contact any of them. This led the poor boy to think that something dreadful must've happened to them all.

"Now, hold on there" he whispered, "there's still _one _number you can call...even if they're a bit far away." With this in mind, he searched through his list of contacts and brought up the image of a familiar face; Ronnie Anne. _"I know she and Sid may have their own stuff to do today"_ Lincoln thought, _"but surely, she or her family wouldn't mind a quick chat...right?"_

Rather than wait for the "viewer's response," he clicked on the profile picture and waited for Ronnie Anne to answer. Alas; much like with the others, he was met with the same result..."user has failed to answer your call." "Okay, this is just too weird" Lincoln muttered in disbelief, "first, I don't find any of my family out doing community work over the past few days and now, all my friends aren't even home...what's going on here?"

The moment he said this; his still waking mind almost led him to believe that he was either still asleep, dreaming all of this or that everyone he knew had suddenly vanished. As soon as the latter idea came up, Lincoln suddenly fell over onto his bed and burst out laughing. "That's just crazy thinking, dude" he giggled, "best head down and have some breakfast; perhaps then, you'll be able to think more clearly."

With that in mind, he sauntered out the door and made his way down to the kitchen; eager to get his breakfast on before things would get too crazy. But the moment he came downstairs, he was surprised to see zero signs of anyone around. Well, that is to say; there were zero signs of any _humans_ around.

Instead, he was met with the family's loyal pets; two of which proceeded to greet Lincoln with their usual cheek kisses and nuzzles. "Okay, guys...o-okay" Lincoln said between laughs, "good morning to you guys too!" After moving Charles and Cliff off of him, Lincoln saw Walt perching himself atop his right shoulder.

Not long after that, he began to sound off a rather musical tweet; which Lincoln immediately recognized as the "Happy Birthday" melody. "Gee, Walt; thanks for the musical message" he gushed thankfully, "are the others awake?" Now, the pets clearly knew Lincoln was referring to the other members of the family.

But because of present circumstances, they chose to "play dumb" and give out a loud yet brief cacophony of animal calls. This led to a small group of other animals to appear. Four of them were Lana's remaining pets; Hopps, El Diablo, Izzy and Bitey.

The last one to arrive was Lucy's small but friendly pet bat, Fangs. "Uh...good morning to you guys too" Lincoln murmured confusedly, "but I was actually looking for the family." With this thought in mind, Lincoln was prepared to use the house phone and ring up one of his sister's numbers.

But before he touched any of the number keys, El Diablo hissed softly and coiled himself around Lincoln's right wrist like a whip. Upon being released, seconds later, the boy was moments away from scolding El Diablo for surprising him. But he and the other pets quickly diverted his attention by gesturing towards something on the table.

There; Lincoln saw a box of what looked like Zombie Bran, his favorite cereal and a glass of orange juice just waiting for him to sample them. _"What the...when did we get this" _Lincoln thought curiously, _"I don't remember either Mom or Luna picking it up, when they last went grocery shopping."_ In spite of this sudden surprise, Lincoln still welcomed it and took a seat at the table.

But just as he was about to eat his cereal, he spotted a piece of notepad paper by his orange juice. When he picked it up; he saw that the note was written in a very familiar kind of handwriting, his mother's.

_"Good_ _Morning, Birthday Boy_

_ So sorry we couldn't greet you when you woke up, sweetie. But your father, sisters and I got called in for some important business this morning. Don't worry, though; no one is in trouble, we're just going to the station to report our Community Service progress is all._

_ By now, you'll have noticed the cereal at your spot on the kitchen table. You can thank Luna for picking that up for you, when you next see her. She used some of her tip money from performing before certain...events happened to get you a whole year's supply...so, make every bit last."_

Upon reading this part of the note, Lincoln suddenly clutched his hand over his heart; as if the words were tugging at his soul. He could not believe that Luna would use her own money to buy him that much Zombie Bran, when she mostly used the tip money for either guitar repairs or new instruments. "I will definitely tell Luna my thanks for something like that" Lincoln murmured to himself, "make no mistake."

What truly touched him about this part of the note was the fact that Luna _chose_ to do this for him, even after all that's happened. Perhaps, this was a sign of good things to come but chose to finish reading the not first; before trusting in hope too deeply.

_Hope you'll enjoy the rest of your day, sweetheart; we'll see you later on...provided nothing crazy happens along the way. Your father and sisters all send you their love as well and can't wait to see you soon. That's all for now, talk to you later._

_ Love, Mom._

After finishing the note, Lincoln couldn't help but swipe away a small tear from his eyes. "Guess that explains why the family's been AWOL this past week" Lincoln chuckled, "suppose I _was_ getting worried over nothing after all." After having a bit of an ironic laugh, Lincoln poured some of the Zombie Bran into a bowl and began to swiftly guzzle down every bit of it.

But just before he about to finish up, he noticed an additional message at the bottom of his mother's note. This time, he noticed that it was his _dad's _handwriting; which led him to wonder what he had to add.

_P.S. from me, Son_

_ The only thing we ask from you; even though it's your special day is that you clean up your dishes when you've finished breakfast, take the kitchen trash out to the curb and make sure you feed the pets before you go anywhere today. If you do this, you won't have to worry about anything else for the rest of the day. Thanks in advance for the help, Son and Happy Birthday._

_ Love, Dad_

While at first, he felt a tiny bit put out by being given chores on his birthday; Lincoln simply rolled his eyes with a chuckle, turned towards the "viewer" and said, "even on birthdays...we have to do our fair share, right?" With that; he finished up the last bits of his Zombie Bran, drank his OJ and brought his dishes to the sink. After gently washing and drying them, Lincoln placed the dishware back into each of their respective places.

After that, he walked over to the lower cupboard and brought out a collection of food bags; some big and some small. From these, he spread/poured out the right amount and type of food for each pet. "There ya go, gang" Lincoln sighed with satisfaction, "this should keep you satisfied till the others get home."

With his pets fed and breakfast dishware cleared away, Lincoln decided to take a seat on the sofa and relax. It was here that he realized that with his sisters out of the house, he didn't have to worry about losing the remote to anyone. With this in mind, he wondered how much better things could get for him.

Then, the moment he turned on the TV; Lincoln was suddenly greeted by a sight that made him grin ear-to-ear...a 10 Hour ARRGH Marathon. "Okay...just so you know, I'm not going to watch _all_ ten hours of this" Lincoln chuckled at the viewer, "I'll only watch enough of it unless something else comes up...or until someone barges in and takes over the room." With that statement made, he eased himself more comfortably on the sofa and began to relax.

_"Gotta say; so far, my birthday's off to a great start"_ he thought to himself, _"had my favorite cereal for breakfast, there's an ARRGH marathon on _and _the house is rather...peaceful, for once."_ While the last part of the situation felt a bit odd, considering how things usually are, Lincoln believed he should savor the peace while he could and he planned on doing just that.

(Line Break)

It was now almost noon and Lincoln was about midway through the marathon. But at the same time, both his body _and _his bladder was telling him he needed to move a bit and he had no choice but to comply. After taking a brief timeout to use the bathroom, Lincoln got the idea of trying to contact the others again; wishing to share in the marathon with them.

Unfortunately; when he called each of them up on the phone, not one of them seemed to answer. "Okay, this is just like earlier in the morning" Lincoln muttered, "this is getting super weird." While trying not to think too much on everyone being AWOL, Lincoln decided to head upstairs and read some comics in his room.

"I know what you're thinking and the answer is NO" he blurted out towards the viewer, "I'm _not_ bored with ARRGH, it's just that marathoning it in one day can cause it lose some of its luster." After that, Lincoln admitted how he preferred to watch the episodes one at a time; so that he could let everything sink in properly.

"If I end up feeling the same way about my comics, I'll just work on the material I've been whipping up" Lincoln said to himself, "besides...I've gotta find something to occupy myself at the moment." With all this in mind, Lincoln proceeded back upstairs and towards his closet bedroom.

(Line Break)

After reading/working on some comic material and having some lunch, Lincoln proceeded to take out the kitchen trash. As he headed outside, his mind was still buzzing with questions; why was no one at home when he called them online, where have they all gone off to and with the exception to the note his parents left him, why was no one around to greet him at home? Meanwhile, back in the house; the pets looked at one another with shifty eyes.

Then; Charles gave Walt a nod, barked a little bit and pointed his paw towards the window. After giving him a few more quick barks, Walt nodded in understanding and flew outside. Once in the air, he began scanning the ground below him; as if searching for something. In time, he found what he wanted.

Down below on the sidewalk was Ajax; who was out for a walk with Jordan. The moment he saw them, Walt dived down at lightning speed towards the duo; almost scaring them in the process. Naturally, Ajax barked a little in defense; believing that the bird was trying to attack them.

But once she recovered, Jordan spotted the bird for herself and sighed with relief. "Heel, Ajax...it's okay" she urged her dog calmly, "it's just Lincoln's pet canary." The aforementioned bird gave a nod and suddenly started tweeting madly, confusing both Jordan _and _Ajax.

Realizing that he wasn't quite getting through to them, Walt let out a bothered tweet and began gesturing towards the distance; as if signaling the duo. "Oh! You want us to follow you" Jordan gasped in realization, "what is it, is there something wrong?" Rather than answer her, Walt simply flew ahead; which caused Ajax to suddenly chase after him.

This also led to him accidentally dragging his poor owner behind him, who was doing all she could to keep her balance _and_ not let go of the leash. Meanwhile; back at the Loud House, Lincoln had just put the last of the garbage away. Although his parents' not asked him to only take out the _kitchen_ garbage, he thought bring the rest of the house trash would be a good idea.

"Sure, carrying this much trash outside _is _a bit of work" Lincoln chuckled at the "viewer," "but I want to repay Luna and my parents back, somehow for getting me my cereal." With this statement made, Lincoln was just about ready to head back inside. But then, all of a sudden; he heard the unmistakable sounds of a dog barking wildly.

This seemed a tad impossible, though; considering that Charles was still inside the house with the others. Then, as he listened carefully; Lincoln could hear another sound amongst the wild barking...the sound of someone screaming for help. He also noticed that the sound was coming from somewhere close..._very_ close.

As he made his way over to the turning point of the sidewalk, he found the source of the noises; a dog barking like made while running with his owner being dragged along behind him. "WATCH OUT, COMING THROUGH" cried the dog-walker in a familiar voice, "SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR RUNNING INTO YOU!" In a flash, Lincoln immediately recognized the voice belonged to Jordan and became quite worried.

"Don't worry, Jordan" he called out loudly, "I know how to get him to stop running!" After this, he hurried into the house and came out with a handful of treats. Then; he positioned himself into Ajax's path, held up his hand and shouted out one simple command..."HEEL!"

Upon hearing the word and seeing the treats in the boy's hand, Ajax quickly dug the heels of his paws into the ground and stopped running. Lincoln smiled pleasantly at the hound, pleased to see that he was able to listen to a "stranger's" command and was moments away from handing him a treat. But then, something (or rather, someone) came crashing hard into Lincoln; causing both of them to tumble into the grass of his yard.

When he came to, seconds later; he was surprised to find Jordan lying on top of him like a rag doll. "Oh, no...did the crash hurt her" he murmured worriedly to himself, "I gotta see if she'll wake up!" With that in mind, Lincoln moved his right hand over to her ear and began snapping his fingers softly.

While this wasn't a very loud noise, it was loud enough to help Jordan wake up from the crash. "Whoa...What hit me" she murmured while rubbing her forehead, "and just where the heck am I any..." Before she could finish her sentence, Jordan looked down and saw that she was lying on top of Lincoln's chest.

Because her mind was still slightly dazed from the crash, the poor girl felt her face heat up with a blush. This sight caused Lincoln to quickly become worried, fearing Jordan would think he was trying to do something to her. "I know what you're thinking...and the answer is no" he murmured defensively, "you ended up on top of me, after you...crashed into me earlier."

At first, Jordan felt skeptical; thinking her guy pal was trying to lie his way out of a jam. But then, after rubbing her head for a moment; everything started to come back to her. She then looked behind her and saw Ajax, who was busily chewing up the treats Lincoln brought out.

"I...I remember, now" Jordan murmured with a light groan, "Walt came flying over to us, tweeted something and the next thing I knew, Ajax just took off; dragging _me_ along behind him!" Upon saying this, she turned towards her dog and proceeded to lightly shame him for his actions. After that she faced Lincoln again and quickly apologized for getting upset with him earlier.

"Don't worry about it, it was an honest mistake" he assured her warmly, "but...did you say you saw Walt earlier?" Jordan nodded slightly in reply and soon after that, Walt came hovering down and perched himself atop Lincoln's head. "Naughty, naughty bird" Lincoln said firmly, "how many times do we have to tell you, don't go outside unless one of _us_ is with you." At first, the wee canary proceeded to hang his head low; presumably ashamed of his earlier actions.

But then, he shared a couple of quick winks; one towards Ajax and another to the Loud Pets who were watching them from inside. "Sorry about all that, Jordan" murmured Lincoln sheepishly, "did you hurt yourself when you...quite literally, ran into me?" With a warm smile upon her face; Jordan shook her head lightly and said there was no harm done, aside from her still feeling dizzy from the collision.

Just then, an idea began to form in her head and a coy smile began to form on her face. "Say, Lincoln; would you like to...help walk Ajax with me" she asked, "it's a really nice day out for a walk." After considering the suggestion for a moment, Lincoln decided to accept; proclaiming that things were too boring at home to stay inside any longer.

"Sure, a walk sounds like an awesome idea" he said with a smile, "let me just get Charles and I'll be right out" With that said, he hurried into his house and collected his pet; who appeared eager for a morning stroll. Once his dog was on the leash, Lincoln rejoined Jordan outside and they continued on walking along the sidewalk.

At which time, both hounds looked slyly up at Lincoln and gave a Muttley-style snicker. _"This should keep him occupied for a few minutes" _Ajax barked softly (the dialogue appearing as subtitles beneath him,) _"your master doesn't suspect anything, does he?" _In response to this, Charles gave a slight shake of the head barked something that seemed to say _"he's completely in the dark...and not in the kind of way Fangs likes."_

(Line Break)

A half hour passed by since the two preteens began walking their dog walk together. During that time, Lincoln recounted the series of "odd events" that happened (or _not _happened, as the case may be) to Jordan; who did her best to appear surprised. "I tell ya, it's super weird" he stated, "not only was I unable to contact any of our friends this morning, I've seen no signs of my family around anywhere this past week!"

With a sheepish blush on her face, Jordan quickly apologized to her BFF for appearing distant. "This week has just been a bit...crazy for most of us" she fibbed hesitantly, "perhaps, the others were busy with back to school shopping or something?" At first, Lincoln believed the idea; considering that the first day of school was fast approaching.

But then, he found one glaring hole in his friend's logic; the young adult members of their crew (Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana.) "The other day, Carol told us she went to the sale for some...college clothes" Jordan stated, "it may be a while before it happens but as she told us, she wanted to be prepared." After taking her statement into consideration, Lincoln realized that Jordan had a point and smiled slightly.

The moment she saw this look, however; she could tell something else was up. "What's the matter, Linc" Jordan asked with genuine concern, "why are you so down today?" At first, Lincoln didn't answer her; thinking that she might say he was getting worked up over nothing.

But then, he remembered all the times she and the other Gal Pals listened to his problems; however big or small they were. He also recalled how much they strove to cheer him up afterwards. With all this in mind, Lincoln sighed with a smile and decided to come clean.

"This past week, I've tried many times to find my family around town" he began "I figured it'd be nice to reconnect a little or lend a hand to help them, if they were working." As he approached the end of his explanation, Lincoln's demeanor dampened slightly; which made Jordan feel quite worried. "You're worried about your family, aren't you" she asked, "it's really sweet that you're so concerned about them, Lincoln."

He blushed lightly in response to her comment, before quickly apologizing for making the situation "too sappy." "No...There's no reason for you to apologize" Jordan stated, "you've all been so busy over the summer that you've barely had the chance to touch base at all; it's natural to miss them." As Lincoln felt himself becoming happier from his friend's words, something nagged at him; how did Jordan know he was thinking of his family?

When he asked her this same question, the poor girl started to sweat; like a crime suspect on a detective drama. "Oh, uh...Clyde told me" she murmured, "he told me you were thinking about them, after you guys left the Burpin' Burger." Upon hearing her mention his BFF's name, Lincoln immediately asked Jordan if she knew where he was.  
Once he brought up Clyde not answering his webcam call; Jordan, once again brought up the "Back to School Shopping" excuse. On one hand, Lincoln grew suspicious of Jordan for using this explanation twice on him. But then; on the other hand, he realized that Clyde's Back to School shopping involved more than just getting the right clothes.

It also involved getting the right medications together, both for himself and for his dads to give to the nurse; should any emergencies arise. "Don't worry about everyone, pal; it's fine" Jordan said reassuringly, "listen, how's about we get some Flippees and bring the dogs home; I think these boys had enough exercise for one morning."

In response to this, both hounds barked in unison and held up their paws; as if to tell them that their "dogs were barking" (no pun intended.) "Sounds like a plan, Jordan; thanks" Lincoln said gratefully, "maybe drinking something cool will help ease my worries a little." With that said, the duo proceeded off towards Flip's Food n' Fuel for a beverage.

Then, at that moment; a chime rang out from inside of Jordan's fanny-pack. "Whoops, that's my phone" she murmured, "could you hold the leashes for me, Linc?" With a soft nod of the head, Lincoln happily accepted the duty.

But not before urging Ajax to not pull him along like he did his "mommy." With a soft whimper in his throat, Ajax answered Lincoln's wishes by giving his hand a gentle lick. "Aww! Look at you boys getting along" gushed Jordan, "I won't be long, I swear."

After earning a quick "a-okay" hand sign from Lincoln, she quickly took out her phone and saw that she had received a text; which read "gang's all set, where are you?" Almost immediately, Jordan began typing up a reply to the message; while making sure Lincoln wasn't looking her way. After a while, she finished typing and sent the text; just as the dogs started barking impatiently.

"Okay, boys; I hear ya" Jordan giggled, "let's get back to our walk."

(Line Break)

Sometime later, Lincoln brought Charles back to the house and safely left him inside with the other pets. "You had a pretty good walk, boy" he chuckled while petting Charles' head, "which means you should be able to rest easy for a bit while I go help bring Ms. Jordan's dog back to _his _home." The wee pup yipped softly, let out a bit of a yawn and gave his owner's hand a lick to thank him for the walk.

After sharing one final goodbye with the pets, Lincoln and Jordan proceeded back out the door. But not before Ajax winked at them, signaling that the rest of the "plan" was going smoothly. After stepping back outside and locking the door, Lincoln met back up with his friend; who appeared to be giving him a sort of knowing look.

"'Miss Jordan'" she chuckled playfully, "care to explain what you meant by that, 'Mr. Lincoln?'" Without even the slightest bit of fear, Lincoln smiled at her and said that he was simply being respectable in a lady's presence. "I swear, Linc; you are such a goofball" she giggled, "but...that's what everybody loves about you."

Naturally, Lincoln was taken aback slightly by his friend's words. But before he had the chance to question her on them, Jordan proceeded to give him a big hug; while still keeping a grip on Ajax's leash. For a few brief seconds, Lincoln felt absolutely euphoric in her embrace...but he didn't quite understand why.

After a while, though; Jordan quickly took notice of this look and chuckled slyly. "Lincoln, the last time I saw you with _that_ kind of look was when Ms. DiMartino last subbed for our class" she murmured knowingly, "are you...feeling smitten?" Upon hearing this question, Lincoln suddenly snapped out of his daze and shook his head.

"N-N-No...No, not at all" he muttered nervously, "I mean...I'm not saying I _wouldn't_ be smitten by someone like you, if _that's _what you're thinking." Within moments, poor Lincoln started into a nervous tirade; one based around how he couldn't be crushing on Jordan, despite her being "one of the most awesome girls in his life." At the end of it, Lincoln could see his lady friend giving him a sort of suspicious stare; which made him feel all the more nervous.

"I'll...be right back" he murmured, "I need to get a fresh shirt, mine's starting to get moist." With that, Lincoln rushed into the house and up to his room; leaving Jordan alone in the yard. At one point, Ajax gave her a bark and a small growl; as if to ask "was all that really necessary?"

"It's all in good fun, boy; you know that" Jordan giggled, "besides, he already knows how I feel about him...along with the others."

(Scene Change: The Rosato Household)

After changing into a new, cleaner shirt; Lincoln rejoined Jordan outside and they made their way back to her home. "Lincoln, could you be a dear and do me a favor" she asked sweetly, "could you hook Ajax up on the porch while I go check on my folks in the backyard?" Without a second thought, Lincoln happily agreed; earning another brief yet appreciative hug from her.

Afterwards, Jordan hurried off to the backside of the house; while Lincoln proceeded to hook up Ajax to the porch. "I've certainly kept myself busy today" he murmured to both the dog _and_ the viewer, "here I thought people were supposed to relax on their birthdays." Ajax whimpered softly at his words and proceeded to nuzzle his head against his torso slightly.

Upon receiving the gesture, Lincoln repaid him by giving Ajax's belly a good scratching. "Thanks for the pick me up, boy" he sighed gratefully, "best go see what your Mommy's doing." With that, he sat up from the porch steps and made his way towards the backyard of the house.

About midway through his stride, Lincoln could suddenly hear the sounds of people whispering. This led him to believe the Rosato Family had a possible intruder on the premises. _"Maybe it's my sisters...or at least Lori or Lynn"_ he thought worriedly, _"this must be part of some revenge scheme against me and my friends they've kept hidden from everyone!"_

His protective instincts getting the better of him, Lincoln's mind swiftly went into "Hero Mode" (or as he saw it, "Ace Mode") and proceeded to sneak the rest of the way towards the yard. At one point, he suddenly stepped upon a stick and snapped it in half. This soft yet still noticeable noise caused the whispering voices to become frantic.

Upon listening closely, Lincoln could suddenly hear a few familiar voices amongst all the murmuring. "I think it's him, everybody" a gruff yet still feminine voice announced softly, "quick, get into positions." Almost immediately, Lincoln recognized the voice to be that of Lana's; which helped put some of his earlier fears to rest.

Still, he was curious as to what she meant by "get into positions." "There's something weird going on here" he whispered to the "viewer," "and I think now's the time to get to the bottom of it all." With that said; he pulled up his pants, puffed out his chest boldly and proceeded to run over to the backyard.

The moment he turned the corner however, he was met with something that caused him to tumble over onto the grass. Not long after; Carol, Becky and Dana hurried over to his side and help him up. "Oh, Linky; are you okay" said the young blonde, "you didn't hurt yourself or anything, did you?"

Lincoln offered only a shake of the head in response, due to his mind being too deep in shock for him to speak. Ahead of him, he saw Jordan's entire backyard and pool area decorated in the most wonderful party décor. He couldn't help but notice the mixture of Ace Savvy, ARRGH, SMOOCH and even Ren Faire/D&D décor hanging in different parts of the yard.

As Lincoln stood in place, his mind desperately trying to contemplate what was happening; dozens of people seemed to pop out of nowhere and proceeded to shout "SURPRISE!" With this simple word, Lincoln finally came to his senses and tried his best to say something. "I...I just...what..." he murmured, "what is all this, how did it all..."

Before he could finish, Lincoln suddenly found himself crushed between a four-way hug-fest. "Happy Birthday, my sweet little man" Carol gushed adorably, "we worked all week to put all this together; what do ya think?" Once Lincoln was allowed to breathe again, he took one last look at the party décor and smiled up at the four teens behind him.

"You...You ladies did all this for me" he murmured, "all on your own?" The moment he said this; Lincoln heard the clichéd yet mildly amusing call of "what are we, chopped liver over here?" With a hearty laugh, Lincoln turned to the side to find the younger members of the Gal Pals crew; each of whom wanting a share of the thanks.

"You guys...You all did this for me" murmured Lincoln in shock, "this is just...I don't know what to say." After a while; Phoebe's expression quickly shifted into a joyful smile, gave the birthday boy a laugh and took a knee. "Well, birthday boy" she beckoned, "don't we get a hug too for helping set this up for ya?"

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln swiped some tears away from his eyes and made an immediate beeline for the shutterbug. Of course, he realized too little too late that he was running too fast; which resulted in him accidentally tackling Phoebe to the grass. Of course, neither of them seemed to care; they just focused on hugging each other as tightly as they could.

"Don't hog him for yourself, Feebs" Stella giggled, "let us have some sugar." With that, the rest of the gals proceeded to give Lincoln a birthday group hug. Even Haiku, against her usual Goth nature, wasted no time in giving Lincoln some love as well.

"Girls...this is all so...thank you so much" he said with great joy, "so, _this _is why none of you answered my web calls this morning?" All ten Gal Pals chuckled sheepishly at his words and offered up a quick "I'm sorry" to him. "We were all just so busy prepping everything for ya, lil dude" Cici said while patting Lincoln's shoulder, "you can thank Jordan and her mom for most of this."

No sooner had the young teen said this, Mrs. Rosato came up from behind and gave Lincoln a quick but loving hug. "Happy birthday, dear" she murmured with a sweet smile, "what do you think; did we do a good job?" Without missing a beat, Lincoln let out a mad yet joyous laugh and declared that everybody did a fantastic job.

"I just can't believe you gals did all this for me" he sighed, "it must've taken a lot of time, work and planning to do it." The Gals smiled warmly at Lincoln and confessed that, as much as they wanted to; they couldn't take _all_ the credit. "We needed some expert help for this party" Whitney stated, "and we found it from two reliable sources."

His curiosity peaked, Lincoln begged the Gals to tell him who helped them out. "To learn who the _first _group is, we ask that you sample something from the snack table" Jordan giggled, "careful...it's a bit spicy." While he was a bit confused on his friend mentioning this bit of information, Lincoln wasted no time and immediately heeded her suggestion.

Upon reaching the table; he saw the usual chips, cheese puffs and other snack foods. But what really caught his attention was what sat in the middle of the table. It was a large bowl, one that contained an equally large quantity of guacamole.

After receiving one final urging from the Gal Pals; Lincoln picked up a nacho chip, dipped it into the guacamole and proceeded to eat it. The moment the flavor of the dip touched his taste buds, he could feel his whole body tingling from the spicy yet savory taste of it. "WHOA! That was delicious" he exclaimed with delight, "wait a sec, there's only one person I know who makes guac with _that_ kind of a kick to it."

Before he could say anything else, the skies suddenly echoed with the sudden yet melodious twangs of a Spanish guitar. Startled by this, Lincoln turned towards the DJ booth; wondering if there was some sort of technical glitch happening. What he found instead, was the familiar sight of both the Santiago _and_ Casagrande Families.

The moment they appeared, each member from both groups greeted Lincoln with the words _"feliz cumpleaños_;_"_ which was Ronnie Anne explained was the Spanish way to cry out "Happy Birthday." Needless to say, Lincoln was left dumbfounded by this sudden surprise. But before he could say a word about anything, he was suddenly plucked off the floor and squeezed lovingly by Carlotta.

"Long time now see, Linc" she squealed adorably, "happy birthday!" Thankfully, this hug wasn't quite so tight; which left Lincoln with just enough air in his lungs to express his thanks. Once he was let back down, CJ placed a birthday themed pirate's bandana around Lincoln's head.

"Happy Birthday, matey" he said with glee, "we're gonna have so much fun today!" Lincoln chuckled at his pal's words and nodded in agreement. "But before we have fun, I gotta greet the rest of my guests" he stated, "and...it looks like I've got a lot."

The moment he said this, the adults from both the Casagrande and Santiago Families approached him; wishing Lincoln a happy birthday. "When your friends told us about your party, I knew there would be many mouths to feed" Rosa said with pride, "so...I took the liberty of preparing a few things." Now, when someone like Mrs. Casagrande claims to have made "a few things to eat;" anyone could tell she was fibbing a little.

Surely enough, the moment he was shown the buffet table; the "few things" she made almost took up all the space there. Of course, at Mrs. Rosato's request; she made sure to leave plenty of space open for the rest of the food. Just before Lincoln could make any comments about this, his eyes were blinded by a sudden flash.

"Oops! I forgot to tell you to smile" the voice of Frieda Casagrande giggled, "so sorry." After taking a moment to clear the spots from his eyes, Lincoln smiled up at the Hispanic woman and assured her he was okay. "But...I don't understand" he murmured, "when and how did you guys get here; when I tried calling Ronnie Anne's chat, she didn't answer."

No sooner had he said this; Lincoln was suddenly jumped from behind, put into a slight headlock and felt someone ruffling his cowlick slightly. During that time; he heard a familiar voice say to him "you think I'd forget your B-Day, lame-o?" When he was finally released, seconds later; Lincoln was greeted by the welcomed friend/former bully, Ronnie Anne.

"Ronnie Anne, you're here" he cried with joy, "I mean...it makes sense your family would want to bring you here with them but...well, you know." The young Santiago girl chuckled warmly at his comment and proceeded to greet him proper with a hug. When asked why she didn't perform her usual arm jab/shove, Ronnie Anne smiled.

"It's a whole new year for this guy" she declared, "which means, I needed to step up my game in how we greet one another." The moment she said this, Ronnie Anne warned Lincoln to never put _her _into a headlock...ever. "You won't have to worry about that" he assured, "headlocks are more _Lynn's _thing, not mine."

With that said, Ronnie Anne exchanged a quick high five with her pal and offered the floor to her family. But instead of meeting _just_ Bobby and Mrs. Santiago, there was a new face among them. "So..._you _are the Lincoln _mi familia _talks so much about" the man greeted, "I'm Arturo Santiago, Ronnie and Bobby's _papa_."

To say the young Loud boy was shocked by this reveal would be a gross understatement. In all the time that he knew Ronnie Anne or that Lori knew Bobby, the both of them rarely heard about the duo's father. So, getting the chance to meet him face-to-face was a real honor.

Of course, he was quite timid about it all and proceeded to greet Arturo in the same manner he once did the Pingreys or Jordan's folks; with an extended hand and a nervous, "it's nice to meet you." "Ha-ha! You were right, Ronita; he _is_ funny" Arturo chuckled while shaking Lincoln's hand, "I think we'll get along fine." After this, the Casagrande Family proceeded to cheer wildly with joy; which caused everyone else to do the same.

"By the way, dude; nice job with the comic art" Bobby said appreciatively, "Carlotta's particularly fond of her outfit from the picture." Confused by this, Lincoln questioned what he was referring to. "He's talking about the _Familia Loteria _picture you made, dude" Becky giggled, I sent a pic to Carlotta the other day of what you made."

From here, the young Latina teen in question confessed that she felt compelled to try and design the heroes' costumes herself. "There will be a time for that later, girlfriend" Carol stated, "for now...we party!" Without a second thought; everyone, young and old cheered loudly in agreement and the party was underway.

(Line Break)

For almost an hour, the party went relatively well; guests laughed, played, chatted about how their summer went and some even playfully tried to outdo Lincoln's cannonball record (to no avail.) Needless to say, things were going relatively well. At the same time, though; Lincoln couldn't help but feel like something felt...off about all this.

"This party is awesome and I'm having an amazing time" Lincoln murmured sullenly to the "viewer," "but...I dunno, something just feels...missing." With this thought in mind, he proceeded to heave out a weary sigh; which Carol immediately overheard. "Linky, what's the matter" she asked worriedly, "aren't you enjoying yourself?"

Upon hearing her concerned inquiry, Lincoln looked up and confessed his concern openly to her. Afterwards, the young teen simply stared off into space while scratching her chin; as if lost in thought. Then, Carol smiled slightly at Lincoln and encouraged him to eat his fill at the buffet.

"All that dog walking you did with Jordan must've worked up quite an appetite, eh" she inquired, "go on and dig in...you may even find something you like." At first, Lincoln felt like denying the idea...until his stomach suddenly argued otherwise. With a light chuckle, he relented and made his way towards the food.

Within moments, his sinuses were bombarded with many wonderful aromas that almost made his mouth water. The question was...where should he start; the "Make Your Own Sub" Station, some of Mrs. Casagrande's food or maybe someone one of the Gal Pals' parents made.

Then, just as he found himself lost in thought; a new scent filled his nostrils. At the same time, there was something rather...familiar about _this _aroma. Within seconds, he found the source of it; a bowl filled with dozens of piping hot Mac n' Cheese bites.

After hearing his belly gurgle loudly one final time, Lincoln immediately made up his plate. _"I think I'll start with the Mac n' Cheese bites" _he thought, _"something about them feels...familiar to me."_ With that, he plucked one off his plate and immediately popped it into his mouth.

As Lincoln started chewing, his taste buds suddenly tingled at the touch of a sweet-tasting flavor that was packed into the little ball. _"Wow, these taste so good" _he thought delightfully, _"the sweet flavor really helps bring out...the..."_ Before he could finish his train of thought, he popped his finger slightly into his mouth and suddenly felt something inside; something gooey.

Upon bringing it back out, he immediately noticed a speck of what looked like caramel on his index finger. "Except for that frozen food company, there's only one person I know who adds caramel sauce in Mac n' Cheese bites" he murmured, "but that can only mean..." Just as he was about to reach his conclusion, there came the sudden sound of a police siren wailing.

This sound suddenly caused the party music and games to come to a screeching halt. Alarmed by this sudden disruption, Mrs. Rosato and several other parents walked over to the front yard; determined to find the cause of it all. "You kids hang back here...especially you, Lincoln" Stella's father ordered, "we'll take care of this."

The kids all nodded in silent agreement and asked for the adults to be careful, if things got hairy. "We will be fine, _niños y niñas_" Hector Casagrande assured, "don't you worry." With that, the adults made their way over to the front yard of the house; some of them taking along some objects for weapons (if necessary.)

Despite the brave words of Mr. Casagrande, the kids still couldn't help but fear for them; especially Lincoln. "Boy...just when I thought things were going well, Fate comes along and throws a stink bomb" he murmured worriedly, "I hope they'll be able to try and settle...whatever's going on." For a while now, there was no sign of the adults; which left the kids all feeling rather nervous.

Then, at long last; everyone saw Mr. and Mrs. Pingrey approaching. "Everyone, it seems the police are here" the latter announced, "and...they've asked for the birthday boy to come and speak with them immediately." As expected, this announcement sent an icy chill down Lincoln's spine.

For what felt like ages (which was only actually a few seconds,) he found himself understandably conflicted on what to do next. Now; in the past, he may either choose to run for cover in these situations or ask for his sisters to help protect him (in their own way.) But after everything he experienced this past year, after surviving so much; another part of him felt otherwise.

"No...I'm not gonna run anymore" he said firmly, "I've been doing it all year, whenever things got hard and now...I'm just done letting fear hold me back!" The Gal Pals couldn't help but admire what he was saying, some of them even finding it rather...captivating. With his mind now made up, Lincoln puffed out his chest and proceeded over to the front yard.

When he arrived; he spotted three police cars parked in the driveway, just as Mr. and Mrs. Pingrey said. But upon looking at the cars more closely, Lincoln's eyes widened. _"These cars look...familiar" _he thought, _"but...it couldn't be_ them_...could it?"_

As Lincoln prepared to take a closer look at the cars, a loud fart sound suddenly echoed through one of their intercoms. In his current, unprepared state; this noise immediately spooked the poor boy. But in an instant, Lincoln realized what it truly was...the sound of a whoopee cushion sputtering.

Mere seconds after that, a voice suddenly came on the intercom and cried out in saying "_we_ toot-ally _got you, Lincoln!"_ This admittedly juvenile pun was then followed by a fit of laughter, a laugh that suddenly caused Lincoln's heart to swell. "That pun" he murmured hopefully, "I know only _one_ person who makes puns that amusingly lame."

The moment this thought came into his head, Lincoln's eyes began to well up with tears. Then, the doors for one of the police cars opened and Lincoln could see a familiar pair of black and white sunglasses poking out slightly. "No...please, no" Lincoln choked with a mild sob, "don't let this be a cruel, sick joke!"

When the car's occupant closed the door, she turned towards the young boy and smiled the brightest grin he'd ever seen. Within seconds, Lincoln immediately recognized the girl as his second eldest sister; the adorably ditzy Leni. The moment she caught sight of him, she made an immediate beeline for the young white haired boy; all while calling out one word at the top of her lungs..."LINCOLN!"

Before the aforementioned boy could react, Leni suddenly tackled him to the grass like a lioness and proceeded to smother him with kisses. "Oh, Linky...my sweet baby brother" she sobbed loudly with joy, "I missed you so much!" Wasting no further time, Lincoln held on to the young teen for dear life; never wanting to let go.

Mere seconds later, several more of Lincoln's sisters were heading there way; which made his heart came close to bursting with joy. "LINKY, I'm so happy to see you" Lola cried while leaping into his arms, "give me a great big hug." Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln enveloped the wee pageant princess in his arms and held her as tightly as she wished.

Soon; Lana, Lucy, Luna and even Lisa joined in on the hugfest...despite finding so little of him left to actually hug. "Hey, _chiquitas_; don't hog him for yourselves" a familiar authoritarian voice called out, "someone else here wishes to say hello." Immediately, the Loud Sisters broke away and helped their brother off the grass; while also dusting off his clothes a little.

Meanwhile, Lincoln looked off into the distance and spotted Officer Campos approaching. Following her from behind were her partners, Higgins and Simmons and Lincoln could see Lily giggling happily in her arms. If Lincoln wasn't close to bursting before, it certainly was now.

Immediately, Higgins plucked Lincoln off the ground and crushed his tiny frame in a loving embrace. He didn't really mind, though; the boy was just so happy to see his sisters and friends safe. "Happy birthday, sugar pie" Higgins said with glee, "sorry for the scare...it was all Miss Luan's idea."

For a moment, Lincoln simply cast a firm glare towards his joker of a sister; leading her to believe he was upset. But then, he smiled and admitted that it wasn't _him_ that required the apology. "Don't you worry, hon" assured Simmons, "we got you covered there."

Once he was set back down, Lincoln proceeded to greet each of his sisters accordingly; starting with Lily. "Oh, girls...I missed you all so much" he murmured while tenderly hugging the baby, "I was starting to fear you wouldn't come...or that you forgot my birthday completely." Upon hearing this suggestion, Luan brought out Mr. Coconuts and had him gasp in a dramatic manner that would put Mrs. Bernardo to shame.

"Baby bro, we'd _never_ forget your big day" Luna said firmly, "we just got a little held up is all." Before she could explain further, another familiar voice called out from the party area. "C'mon, girls; you can talk later" it shouted, "best get some food while it lasts."

In an instant, Lincoln quickly recognized the voice and hurried back to the backyard; all while carrying Lily with him. When he arrived, his eyes came close to popping from his head. Standing by the buffet table, helping assist Rosa in serving the guests was his father; Lynn Sr.

Not too far away, Lincoln also spotted his mother; who was in the midst of getting her face painted to look like an adorable teddy bear. Needless to say; seeing them, his sisters _and_ the officers all at the party together made his heart swell. In time; Rita turned away from the face painter and smiled at Lincoln lovingly.

"There's my handsome birthday boy" she gushed adorably, "c'mere and give Mommy a big hug!" After getting someone to hold Lily for him, Lincoln rushed to his mother like the Flash on a sugar high; whereby he almost tackled her from her seat. "Mom...Dad, you came" he cried, "I was...I couldn't find you anywhere all week and...I was worried you wouldn't be coming.

Not wishing to see his boy sad on his special day, Lynn Sr. sat him down on his lap and decided to give him his gift. "Bear in mind, this isn't a typical present" he stated, "just a bit of some good news...and some bad news." After taking in a nervous gulp, Lincoln looked up at his parents and asked what the good news was.

"The good news, _chamaco_ is that your family's debt to the town has been paid" explained Officer Campos, "which means their community service work is done!" Upon hearing this, Lincoln came close to leaping with joy. But then, he quickly remembered that there was also _bad_ news as well and asked everyone to give it to him straight.

"The bad news is while we've paid back the town for the damages with our work, we're still on probation" Luna interjected, "but we can still get back to our old work." Higgins nodded slightly in agreement but explained that while his family was going back to work, they would still be under police supervision. "This means you'll still be seein' a lot more of us, kid" Simmons chuckled, "hope you don't mind."

Rather than answer her verbally, Lincoln decided the best way to show his reaction by giving her a hug; which the officer happily welcomed. "There is one other thing" Higgins said suddenly, "but I think we'll have both of _them _tell you for themselves." Before Lincoln could ask who were the "them" she was referring to, a tall shadow suddenly loomed over him; one that he...regrettably recognized.

As he slowly turned around; he came face to face with the haggard and stoic demeanor of his eldest sister, Lori. To her right was Lynn; who's own expression seemed to match her older sister's, to say the least. Because of this, Lincoln couldn't tell if they were happy to see him or not.

For a moment or so, neither side spoke to the other; which left the Gal Pals feeling slightly apprehensive. Then, Lori fell to her knees and looked Lincoln square in the eyes. This caused his body to shiver all over, much to his surprise.

After a while, Lincoln decided to be brave an offer up two simple words in greeting; "Uh, hi...Sis." The moment she heard those words, the corners of Lori's eyes started to well up. Then, before he could even say another word; Lori took Lincoln into her arms and hugged him closely.

"Lincoln...I've literally missed you so much" she murmured, "I'm so happy I could make it here." Not only was _Lincoln_ taken aback by this gesture but (with the exception of his parents and other sisters) so was everyone else. After hugging him for almost a minute, Lori passed Lincoln over to Lynn; who wasted no time in following her sister's lead.

"Good to see ya again, Bro" she murmured softly, "and happy B-Day to ya." While he _did _enjoy this bit of affection from the both of them, Lincoln was rather confused by all this and turned to his parents for answers. "What happened" he asked, "they look like Lori and Lynn but something feels...I dunno, different."

With a hearty chuckle in his throat, Lynn Sr. patted Lincoln's shoulder affectionately and did his best to explain. "They're still the same girls you know, Son" he assured, "they've just...mellowed out a little, during the classes they had to take with Luan, Lola and Lisa." Alas, even with this explanation; Lincoln _still _couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on.

"What your father means, honey is that your sisters are okay" Rita stated, "but while they're released from community service like the rest of us, the court feels it would be best if they kept going to their classes." Mildly confused by this, Lincoln asked if either class was able to help them even slightly. "They have, _chamaco_; really" Campos assured, "they just had...a bit more emotional baggage than any of us anticipated."

After this, Lori raised her hand up and politely asked if _she_ could help explain things to Lincoln. With soft smiles on their faces, both Mr. and Mrs. Loud agreed and gestured for her to proceed. "Lincoln...to start things off, I'd like too...apologize" she murmured uneasily, "my classes helped me face the facts that...there were times where I failed you as a sister."

Upon hearing the "F" word, Lincoln recoiled in shock; as if she said a hideous slur. "But Lori...you've protected all ten of us, helped our parents however you could _and_...in your own way, kept bullies off my back for some time" he listed, "where have you 'failed' me?" Then, like a karate kick to the head; he suddenly realized what she meant.

But before he could say anything, Lori decided to list the examples for herself; however much they hurt her emotionally. "I failed you when I decided to make that stupid protocol that drove you out of the house...twice" she groaned, "I _failed you_ when I tried to force you into relationships you never wanted, I _failed you_ when I chose to act like a taskmistress instead of your sister!" Upon hearing the third example, Lincoln wondered where she got the idea of her being a "taskmistress."

Then, in an instant; it all became clear, Lori was referring to all the times she forced him and her sisters to do tasks for her to earn favors. Unfortunately, Lori didn't stop there with her confessions. "I _failed you,_ Lincoln when I chose to place the blame on our family's stress on _you_ last March; even though it was all _my _doing" she said while choking out a sob, "and for that and so much more...I'm sorry, I'm so...so sorry!"

That did it; with that simple statement, Lori collapsed onto her knees once more and cried. Alarmed to see his eldest sister in such a state, Lincoln wasted no time in rushing over and taking Lori into his arms. "Lori...don't cry, it's okay" he whispered, "I'm just happy you're here...and I forgive you."

Naturally, she was taken by surprise by this and asked how Lincoln could forgive her just like that; after everything. "Make no mistake; I'm still upset by how you behaved towards me back then" he said bluntly, "but...it's not in my nature to hate somebody forever, no one can really do that." After sniffling a little, Lori smiled and let out a soft yet sweet laugh.

"I'm just so proud of you all" Lincoln stated, "you accepted the court's sentence, kept at it and never gave in; that proves to me that you really wanted to change." No sooner had he said this, someone else started to cry but it wasn't Lori or Lynn. Instead, much to everyone's surprise; it was Lisa. "Oh...dearest Brother, I have missed your optimism so" she whimpered in her iconic lisp, "may I have a hug as well?"

Without a second thought, Lincoln scooped up the genius toddler and held her tight in his arms. This inspired the rest of the family to quickly join in. But while the Gal Pals all felt the scene was truly heartwarming, something still nagged at them. "So...let me see if I understand here" Becky interjected, "even though your community work is done, your still going to your classes?"

Upon hearing this; Officer Simmons clarified that Lori, Lynn, Luan and Lisa would only be taking their classes for two hours on the weekends. "This was something they themselves requested" she added, "which explains why we were all unable to touch base with the birthday boy this week." After taking all this in, Lincoln thanked the officer for her explanation and resumed hugging his family.

"Wow, that's...great" Dana murmured, "Lincoln's got his family back together again...yay."

(Line Break)

Sometime after Lincoln's family arrived, the party went back into full-swing and the birthday boy couldn't be any happier. At the same time, Leni reconnected with the likes of Dana and Becky; asking if they would ever take her back as a friend. Without a moment's hesitation, both ladies sandwiched her into a hug and happily welcomed her back.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was telling his parents about all the things he and the Gal Pals got to do together. "Sounds like you all had some real fun, honey" Rita said happily, "and I'm happy you were well taken care of while we were busy." Upon hearing this, Officer Higgins ruffled Lincoln's hair and proclaimed that having him around made hers and her partner's lives all the more interesting.

"I really _am_ glad you guys are all back, Mom and Dad" Lincoln muttered with a half-smile, "but...I guess that means I won't need Carol or any of the Gals to help look after me anymore." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln suddenly felt someone smearing cake icing onto his face. When he turned around, he spotted Carol standing over him with both her holding the birthday cake.

"You think I'm just going to up and leave; now that your family's back, Linky" she murmured with a fake hurt voice, "nope...the court made me and my friends your guardians and we will stay with you as long as _you _want us, understood?" After licking away the icing from his face, Lincoln answered her with the biggest hug he could ever give. "Alright, dear; enough hugging for now" Mr. Pingrey said in a firm yet gentle tone, "it's time for the big moment!"

With that, Lincoln was led over to a big table on the yard; where Carol's parents then placed the cake down at. There, he could see almost everyone he knew and love sitting alongside him. At the moment, he was preparing to hear them all sing the traditional "Happy Birthday" melody.

But in a rather amusing twist; his sister, Luna and Hector Casagrande appeared and began to sing a duet. The particular song they sung however, wasn't that of Happy Birthday. Instead it was something Bobby called _"Mi Amor, So Glad You're Mine."_

Needless to say; Lincoln happily welcomed this change, reclined himself in his chair and let the melody fill his ears. Then, the moment the song came to the verse _"you're the greatest, greatest of all time/_Mi Amor, _so glad you're mine;"_ his eyes began to swell up. Eventually; the song came to an end and every single guest closed things off with the loud outcry of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINCOLN!"

"Now, lil dude; make a wish and blow out the candle" Phoebe urged anxiously, "this'll be great for my scrapbook." With that said, everyone sat in anticipation; waiting for Lincoln to blow out the candle and officially become twelve. But for a moment or two; he simply sat in his chair, struggling to hold back his tears.

The moment he noticed everyone's concerned expressions, Lincoln swiped away his tears and chuckled softly. "Sorry for the scare, everyone" he murmured, "but...what else could I possibly wish for, when I've got everything I want right here." To drive his point home, Lincoln said he felt so touched that his whole family worked so hard to put everything together...just for him.

"Of course we did this for you, Linky" Leni said sweetly, "we love you." While Lucy couldn't help but agree with her, she also mentioned that Lincoln's statement held a bigger meaning to it. "Ever the emotionally observant one; eh, Lucy" Lincoln chuckled, "I really missed that."

After standing up from his chair, he said that his sister spoke the truth. "Last summer, at the Burnt Bean; I wrote a poem that said family is more than just who birthed you into this world" he murmured while choking back a sob, "it's also about the people who you love most...and I see that in all of you guys." It was here that Lincoln confessed that he considered everyone present that day as his family.

"I've considered Clyde to be my bro, ever since the day we met" he sniffled, "and his dads had both been as great of caretakers as Carol and her friends have." As if on cue, Harold and Howard McBride shed tears of joy at Lincoln's words. "I've come to love Bobby as my older brother, after the time we hung out together" Lincoln stated, "and while I'm...still on the fence about getting too sappy with _her; _I happily admit that Ronnie Anne is a wonderful friend to have."

Not expecting to be put on the spotlight that way; the aforementioned girl, upon hearing his words, almost fell out of her seat. But her mother quickly helped her back up and smiled warmly at her. "I love their family" Lincoln announced while gesturing at the Casagrandes and the Santiago Parents, "they may be diverse in age but deep down, they remind me so much of my own sisters."

As expected, Frieda immediately succumbed to her emotions and sobbed wildly. Of course; Rosa, Carlotta and even Maria all couldn't help but shed a few tears. The boys meanwhile, were struggling to appear "macho" in everyone's presence; with the exceptions of CJ and Carlitos (who simply copied the former's actions.) Continuing on, Lincoln expressed how much he valued his Guy Squad as "family."

"Sure, we may not enjoy the same stuff all the time" he confessed, "but I love spending time with each of my bros and wouldn't trade _any of them _for the world." Now, Rusty did his best to appear "tough" and not get sappy over Lincoln's speech. But on the inside, he was weeping mad tears of joy. Liam did his best to hide his blushing face from everyone, while Zach simply gave Lincoln an odd hand sign (which he explained was a sort of "intergalactic greeting.")

"But most of all, I'm thankful to have the company of the Gal Pals" Lincoln announced, "these ten wonderful ladies came to me when I was at one of my lowest points; without them, I...well, you all already know the rest." Naturally, the Gal Pals all proceeded to weep tears of joy; even Haiku held no shame in doing just that. "My point, I guess is...with all of you in my life; I've got virtually everything I could want" he said humbly, "but if I _had_ to make a wish...it would be to make sure history doesn't repeat itself _next year!_"

This simple statement caused everyone to suddenly burst out into mad laughter, which was a welcomed relief from all the tears they shed. "Alright, alright; enough with the sappy talk here" Ronnie Anne chuckled while wiping some tears away, "blow out the candle and let's have some cake!" Not needing to be told twice; Lincoln took in a deep breath and with one simple blow, the candles instantly went out."

Again, the crowd burst out into cheers and shared one final declaration of "Happy Birthday" to Lincoln. As Mrs. Pingrey began cutting and giving out cake slices, Carol scooped Lincoln up in her arms and showered him with kisses. "Sweetie, that was such a beautiful speech" she gushed, "did you really mean all that?"

Lincoln blinked confusedly at the young blonde, let out a soft scoff and gave her a sort of "what do you think" gesture. "In that case, we love you too" Carol giggled, "don't we, ladies?" Almost immediately, every member of the Gal Pals sounded off loudly in agreement; followed by Carlotta and Ronnie Anne as well.

"Should we give him our present yet, ladies" questioned the Casagrande teen, "or should we wait until he has some cake?" Mere seconds after this was asked, she and the others quickly raised their hands high and called out "AYE" in unison. "That's cool, gang" Lincoln stated, "so...where's your gift?"

The moment he looked at the present table, he immediately spotted a present with one of their names on it and tried to snatch it. But then, he was quickly pulled back by his collar and landed in Carlotta's arms. "Oh...we're not talking about any of _those_ gifts, _Chulo_" she giggled, "we have something else in mind, something you can't wrap up."

Confused by this, Lincoln was moments away from asking what the gift was. But these thoughts quickly faded away, when he felt a pair of soft lips kiss his forehead. His eyes eased upward and saw that it was Carol performing the gesture.

After breaking away, Becky was the next to step forward and proceeded to kiss Lincoln tenderly on his left cheek. Whitney came next and kissed the right one. When Dana came for _her_ turn, she chose to give him a quick kiss upon his lips. Next came Phoebe, who chose to follow Carol's lead and kiss his forehead.

Cici, due to her height, chose to give Lincoln a hug and a quick kiss on his left cheek. Kat gave another kiss to Lincoln's right cheek; not caring that Chandler, Lance and Trent were all watching her poolside. Next came Stella, who chose to simply give him the warmest of hugs.

Haiku, with a soft yet warm smile on her face, also hugged Lincoln tenderly; while whispering "Happy Birthday my dearest friend" softly into his ear. Finally came Jordan, Cristina and Paige; who proceeded to give him both a three-way group hug and the biggest of kisses. By the end of it all, poor Lincoln was as stiff as a statue.

His jaw hung open, his pupils were dilated and whatever sounds emanated from his throat came out of his mouth sounded like strangled squeals. This wasn't the end however; there were still two more left to share some love, in order to make things even. With that in mind, Carlotta approached him and held Lincoln tight like he was a plushie.

When she put him back down, Ronnie Anne stepped forth and (albeit quickly) gave him a small peck on the cheek. That did it; with that last kiss, his mind slowly started shutting down (metaphorically speaking.) "There you go, little man" Phoebe giggled, "a kiss and/or a hug from each of us for all twelve of your years."

After this, the Gals saw what looked like hearts fluttering over Lincoln's head. Then, like a drunkard on New Year's; he began to stumble about in zigzags until he, eventually fell into the pool. Naturally, this caused a few of the party guests to worry; fearing he might drown.

"Don't worry, everyone; the birthday boy's okay" Whitney decreed, "he's just needs to...cool down a little." This news immediately helped put everyone's fears to rest and the party swiftly started up again. But while they laughed and made merry, Lincoln floated around in the pool; causing the water to heat up slightly due to his increased body heat (if you catch my drift.)

At one point, though; he had just enough consciousness to give his final thoughts to the "viewer." "If this is a dream, I don't want anyone to wake me up" he sighed blissfully, "my family is back home, my friends put on this awesome party for me and there's still time to have some fun." As if on cue; mere seconds after Lincoln said these words, several of his friends began leaping into the pool.

Naturally, their combined splashes immediately snapped Lincoln out of his blissful state. "No time for napping, lame-o" Ronnie Anne giggled at the inflatable slide, "it's time to celebrate!" The moment she said this, everyone began chanting the word "cannonball" over and over.

"It's like I said earlier, I've got the best gift in the world...my families" Lincoln sighed blissfully, "as long as they've got my back; I'm for anything, next year." With that final statement, he makes his way towards the diving board and begins to position himself. Then, all of a sudden; all the hard/negative moments of the past year flow through his mind.

At first, Lincoln was worried he was having an emotional relapse. But then, his conscience came in and whispered something into his ears; _"with this cannonball, let all the year's troubles be washed away."_ With this thought in mind and his friends still chanting before him, Lincoln let out a soft sigh and smiled.

"Get your umbrellas ready, folks" he cried, "because here comes the downpour!" After saying this; he runs across the diving board, gives himself a big bounce and flies almost four feet into the air. Upon coming into contact with the water, a wave splashes forward and everything fades to black.

(First AN: Thus, the starting oneshot for the Fall Arc comes to an end; not with a whimper but with a joyful bang. My apologies if this felt too long for a typical oneshot, everybody. But the way I see it; since it's a "premiere story" for a new arc, I tried to make it feel like one of the show's one-hour special...in terms of length.

I hope you'll enjoy reading it and stick around for the next story in A Day in the Life.)

(Second AN: After calling her Jordan's Mom both in the OG Gal Pals stories and in some of the other oneshots for this anthology, I've given her an actual family name; Mrs. Rosato. I got inspired to do this from two separate sources. The first being that the character of Jordan herself was based off of the show's former storyboard artist, Jordan Rosato.

As for the second source, some LH fanfic writers have decided to address her character as such. With all this in mind, I thought it made sense to follow their lead. I just hope nobody will think I'm stealing anything.)

(Third AN: This is in regards to _La Familia Loteria_, Lincoln's superhero team he made in honor the Casagrandes and Ronnie Anne's family. After seeing the game itself in the Casagrandes episode, Stress Test and playing the Google Doodle version of the gamel; I got hooked. It's essentially like Bingo but a bit more fun.

Regardless; after learning about it, I thought I could give Ronnie Anne's family hero identities based off of the different cards in Loteria. For example, Carlitos' character of _La Rana_ is Spanish for The Frog. His hero persona grants him superhuman reflexes and agility in the form of a frog's hopping.

Whereas Carlotta's character of La Garza is Spanish for "The Heron," which is a type of long-legged bird. Bet you can already guess what her abilities are, right? Moving on, you can expect _La Familia Loteria_ to appear in my second Ace Savvy based Loud House story; Double Draw someday in the future.

But I'll need to finish up the rest of my pieces, until then; just thought I'd let you know.)

(Fourth AN: Because the show has yet to "age up" the characters yet; after this, Lincoln is now twelve years old; not quite a teenager but still pretty close. Speaking of close, it has also not yet been revealed how old characters like Cici are in the show. So, I wanted her to be thirteen and a half; just slightly above Lincoln.)

(Fifth AN: Many of my reviewers wanted to see more character growth like what I did in the Rascally Rennies four-parter. While neither Lincoln nor the Gal Pals had such a moment here, that privilege went to Lori and Lynn. As this story mentioned earlier, both sisters have quite a bit of baggage on their shoulders and will require a bit more time in their classes to help them resolve it all.

On the plus-side, they've made amends with Lincoln and are starting to reconnect with their old friends; i.e. some members of the Gal Pals. This is a sign of good things to come; rest assured, everyone.)

(Sixth AN: In addition to Lori and Lynn's continued classes; I felt it best that for the time being, it was wise to keep the rest of the Louds on probation...should any more big incidents occur. This is also the reason why the three officers are sticking around.

It also helps to mention that they just adore the Loud kids, even when some of the girls choose act a little uppity.)

(Seventh AN: For those wondering, yes...and no; Jordan's behavior towards Lincoln during the dog-walking moments _were_ me hinting at the possibility of them becoming a ship. However, I simply wanted to make it a possibility; not a reality. Sorry if you didn't like the tease.)

(Eighth AN: The top Carol puts on for her new "Back to School" look was inspired by the cover art for my original Gal Pals story; which was done by one of my followers, RawToonage Press. Consider this my little shout out to you, dude; thank you for your continuing support.)

(Last AN: In regards to Lincoln's speech; due to all the time he's spent with the likes of the Gal Pals, Clyde or even the Casagrandes. It's only natural for him to consider them all as extensions of his family. Think of it as him "officially" naming them as honorary kinfolk.

Just thought I'd point that out, in case anyone got confused.)


	11. Schooling with the Gal Pals

Schooling with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: It's Lincoln's first official day of Middle School and...he has mixed feelings about it. After inadvertently causing some trouble during Middle School Orientation the previous year, both he and Clyde fear that some students may be after their heads. To add more fuel to the fire, he wonders if anyone will harbor any grudges against him over the events of his family's trial.

But just as he thinks all is lost, Lincoln will come across a few possible new friends along the way; friends who presumably have connections with people he knows. Will this be enough to help Lincoln have a successful first day?)

As our story opens, we find a school bus traveling down the streets of Royal Woods. After three months of merriment, adventure and fun; the time had come for kids young and old to return to their studies. Within said bus, we find many students either chatting amongst themselves or acting rowdy with one another; much to the driver's annoyance.

Among those in the seats are Lincoln, Clyde and a few of the Gal Pals. On this mildly brisk autumn day, they would be entering into their first official day as Middle School students. "I can't wait till we get there" Cristina murmured excitedly, "what do you think the classes will be like?"

Upon hearing this inquiry, Rusty's head popped up from the seat behind her and he proclaimed that he wasn't very eager to find out the answer. "From what I've heard; the higher your grade level, the harder your work gets" groaned Rusty, "I don't know if my brain can handle that!" At that moment, Haiku suddenly appeared (seemingly out of nowhere;) causing the poor boy to almost jump out of his seat in fear.

"I'm more anxious to see what sort of artistic clubs the school has, to tell you the truth" she murmured, "I hope to find and join a new writing club there." Not long after this, Stella admitted she was anxious to see what the school looked like. "From what Lincoln said, the columns outside the building are HUGE" she gushed excitedly, "much bigger than the elementary school."

Eager to learn more, Stella began searching around for the aforementioned Loud boy. But as she turned around, she was met with a most startling surprise. As one might expect, both Lincoln and Clyde were sitting together in the middle row of bus seats.

But rather than be greeted by his usual joyful, bucktoothed grin; Stella saw a look of terror on Lincoln's face. Meanwhile, Clyde was breathing in and out of a paper bag; which was something he'd often do whenever he felt nervous. Upon seeing two of her guy friends in such a state, Stella felt concerned and asked for someone to see if they were okay.

As luck would have it; Phoebe, who was sitting behind the boys, overheard her request and quickly got Lincoln's attention. "Not to seem rude, dude" she said bluntly, "but what's got you two so jittery?" At first, neither Lincoln nor Clyde answered; appearing too far gone to have heard them.

Upon being informed of this, Jordan took action and dialed up _both_ their numbers on her phone. This in turn, caused the ringtones on _their _phones to chime loudly; snapping the boys out of their fearful state. Of course, this noise didn't go unnoticed by the driver; who warned everyone not to use their phones on the bus.

"Sorry about that, Ma'am" Jordan called out apologetically, "my friends just looked a little...piqued and I wanted to try and get their attention." While this answer _did _appease the bus driver, she still gave a warning on no further phone use while the bus was in motion. Jordan agreed to the rule, placed her phone back into her bag and zipped it safely inside.

Once this was settled, the pre-teen Gal Pals members turned their attention back towards the boys and asked what was wrong. "You've never been _this _nervous about school before, Linc" murmured Paige worriedly, "what's up?" For about a moment or so, neither of the boys answered; either out of fear or silly male pride.

But then, Haiku appeared and urged them to speak up; warning that if they refused, she would break out..."The Face." Naturally, Lincoln quivered uneasily at the idea; remembering how weak it made him feel. But Clyde didn't feel quite so concerned, thinking a sad face wouldn't be enough to break him.

"Okay, Clyde; have it your way" murmured the young Goth, "but just remember...you asked for this." With that said; Haiku cleared her throat, took in a deep breath and gazed at Clyde with the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. After letting out an alarmed "eee" sound, Lincoln did what he could to "save himself" by placing his backpack over his head.

"C'mon, buddy; it's just a sad face" Clyde said confidently, "how bad could it be?" No sooner had he said this, the young man took one look in Haiku's direction and felt a lump lodge itself in his throat. The tears welling up in her one visible eye was bad enough.

But the moment caught sight of Haiku's lower lip quivering and heard her give a puppy-like whimper, his heart almost shattered. Finally, after almost a minute and a half of looking at her; Clyde finally relented. "UGH! ALRIGHT, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG" he shouted, "just...stop with the look...please?"

The moment he said this, Haiku's expression instantly shifted back into it's original deadpan look. "Who says the puppy-dog eyes don't work" she murmured with a soft smile, "now...spill it, what's got you boys so jumpy this morning?" After waiting for Lincoln to pull his backpack off his head, he looked around at everyone briefly and sighed.

"I'm...I'm just nervous about my first day, alright" he muttered bitterly, "and so is Clyde." As expected, the eight Gal Pals scattered around Lincoln responded to this proclamation with a simple yet slightly playful murmur of "we knew it." Mildly offended, the boys gave each of them the "Stink Eye" for their comment; proclaiming that they were "being serious."

"Whoa! Easy does it, boys" Kat said defensively, "what's with the dirty looks, everyone gets scared of their first day of a new school year." After taking a moment to realize their behavior, Lincoln and Clyde immediately calmed down and apologized for offending them. "No harm done, lil' dudes" Phoebe assured sweetly, "but...something tells me there's more to your nervousness than you're both telling us."

Realizing there was little point in beating around the bush for much longer, Lincoln decided to tell them everything. "You ladies already know about a lot of the stuff that happened between me and my sisters, right" he asked, earning nods from each of the Gals; "well, one of the things I failed to mention happened during Middle School Orientation last year." The moment this was brought up, both Cici and Phoebe's faces formed looks of great worry.

Without hesitation, the boys told their friends everything that happened to them that day. "First, we were searching for the 'Wonders of Watercolors" classroom" Lincoln muttered shamefully, "but we got lost while trying to find it on our own." After this, Clyde tagged in and mentioned how they ended up accidentally opening a Dark Room door.

"I remember, Phoebe mentioned that at Gus' where we all met up" Kat gasped in realization, "said something about ruining a whole month's work." Upon being reminded of the incident, Lincoln and Clyde suddenly felt themselves sinking into their seat in shame. After a brief moment of silence, the latter boy mentioned another incident; one where he and Lincoln tried to call dibs on a pair of desks.

"Unfortunately, the seats were already assigned to Cici and her friend" Clyde murmured, "but we refused to listen...and they ended up getting in trouble with their teacher." The ladies, save for Cici, each gasped in shock; wonder what brought the boys to act that hostile. Finally, after taking a moment to gather up a sliver of courage; the boys decided to reveal the last incident from that day.

"It happened in the gym during our last class of that day" Clyde whimpered shamefully, "at first, we were actually _trying_ to stay outta trouble and keep a low profile." Intrigued yet concerned by this bit of info, Stella asked what happened next. "According to the coach, the floor was buffed for some sort of PTA event" Lincoln murmured, "we tried to keep out of the way...but ended up slipping on the floor, knocking over the ball rack and scattering volleyballs everywhere, as well as knocking a bunch of gym carts on the Coach _and _several students."

After this, he and Clyde expected their friends to viciously chew them out for their mess. But instead, the ladies offered both of them soft smiles and proclaimed they weren't completely at fault. "Everyone slips up that way at some time" Stella assured, "in my old school, the janitor had an entire hallway floor polished and I ended up skidding the whole way down on my heels!"

When asked how she stopped, Stella revealed that she ended up stumbling into the Gym; where she crashed into a group of cheerleaders standing in a pyramid formation. "At least _you _probably apologized for the slip, Stella" Lincoln grumbled, "but we chose to 'own up to nothing' and held our tongues." Upon hearing this reveal, the Gals questioned where he learned such poor advice from.

But rather than answer verbally, the boys simply gestured towards the back of the bus; where Lynn Jr. was sitting. When the first day of school arrived, the Loud Family's resident sports star hoped for a clean slate; after she and her family paid their debt to society. But even after doing Community Service all summer and agreeing to still attend Anger Management _and_ Sensitivity Training on weekends, Lynn Jr. had yet to fully regain the respect of most of her peers.

The moment she stepped onto the bus, nearly every kid claimed their seats were "taken" or "saved." This left Lynn with no choice but to sit at the back of the bus, which had quite a few bad seats. One of these seats had torn upholstery, while another appeared rather wet; either from a drink spill or...heaven knows what else.

After a brief mental debate, she went with the bad upholstery seat; doing her best to sit on the part that was still intact. _"Wow, that's awkward" _Jordan thought uncomfortably, _"I can't help but feel bad for her."_ At that moment, she suddenly realized she was getting off track and turned her attention back to Lincoln.

"So...let me get this straight" Jordan inquired, "your sister told you not to own up to _any_ accidents you might cause, however big or small they were?" With a weary sigh, Lincoln and Clyde nodded and added that she thought it would help "save him from shame." "Other pieces of advice she gave us were 'don't be noobs' and 'don't get stuck with crummy desks'" Clyde listed, "we tried using it for ourselves, after we were left on our own the rest of the day...but you can probably guess how _that _went."

In that moment, the Gals were caught in a whirlwind of emotions. They were disappointed in Lynn for giving the boys poor advice, they felt sad about all the embarrassment they suffered after following it. But they also felt the boys should've known better than to trust such poor ideas.

"The whole time Lynn gave this advice to us, she used stories about a 'random student's' bad first year of Middle School as a reference" Lincoln stated, "turns out..._she_ was that student." Feeling both shocked and intrigued by this, some of the Gals eased themselves close to them; eager to learn more. At the same time, near the front of the bus, a small handful of other students couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.

But they chose to keep silent, waiting until they heard more about what happened to do anything else. "By owning up to farting during a test, people mocked her for a week" Lincoln whispered, "she got stuck in a tight desk and had to be greased out...and worse still; thanks to some bad directions, she ended up getting lost in the basement levels for the whole day." After hearing all this; all the Gals felt, understandably conflicted.

On one hand, they still inwardly shamed Lynn Jr. for giving Lincoln and Clyde rather poor advice. But on the other hand; after hearing everything she went through, they realized that Lynn was only trying to help keep the boys from suffering the same fate. "Well, if I may offer _my _two cents here" Cici interjected, "here's hoping you'll get a wiser mentor to help show you boys the ropes."

Confused, Lincoln asked why neither she nor Phoebe could be their mentor; considering that they were both set to be in the 7th or 8th Grade. "Actually, it may be a good idea they don't get paired with us, buddy" Clyde murmured, "we don't want people think we need ladies to help fight our battles." While the Gals all agreed that the boys could easily help themselves, if necessary; Clyde's words held some truth to them.

"Another thing is...we all might not be in the same classroom together" Phoebe interjected, "ergo, we'll all have to face the storm alone...if need be." Once again, Lincoln could hear the ring of truth in his friend's words as clearly as church bells. Still, he dreaded what would happen to him and Clyde; once they've arrived at the school.

Meanwhile, the small group of students in front looked upon one another and nodded silently; as if coming to an agreement on something.

(Line Break)

After a half hour or so of riding, the bus had reached its destination; Royal Woods Middle School. Upon seeing the tall columns beside the main entrance, Stella couldn't help but gasp in awe. During the bus ride; Stella revealed that in her old hometown, the Middle School didn't look as impressive as this one.

Rather, in terms of scale; it looked about the same size and design as Royal Woods Elementary...just with a different paintjob. "There will be time to admire the building later, Stell" Cristina said firmly, "we've gotta get to the auditorium before the bell rings. Upon hearing this statement, Stella quickly snapped out of her awestruck daze and made a beeline for the entrance.

Meanwhile, way in the back of the crowd of students; Clyde and Lincoln are seen trying to either blend in unnoticed or to move as quickly passed everyone as possible towards the door. Unfortunately, as they tried to practice both options; the boys soon noticed several students looking down at them and whispering. Actually, it was _Lincoln_ alone whom they placed their attention on.

Needless to say, it all made them both feel quite uncomfortable. _"Just keep walking and don't make eye contact" _Lincoln thought to himself, _"the sooner you get to the auditorium, the sooner you can...probably relax a little."_ With this thought in mind, Lincoln did his best to speed-walk the rest of the way towards the door; doing his best not to pay attention to those watching him.

(Scene Change: The School Auditorium)

In time, all students arrived in the auditorium and took their seats. As Lincoln and Clyde made their way over to _theirs_, the former soon noticed a few familiar faces amongst the student body. There was Lynn's sports teammate and one of her closest friends, Margot. He spotted the members of their Roller Derby Team, there was Byron (Cici's other male friend,) Polly Pain (one of the girls Lynn tried to set him up with for the Sadie Hawkins Dance,) Paula (another one of Lynn's teammates) and Francisco (Lynn's possibly former crush.)

The whole time he looked at these kids, Lincoln wondered if there was any bad blood between them still. But his train of thought on that halted, the moment loud microphone feedback surged through the room slightly. As Lincoln and Clyde turned towards the stage, they saw several school staff members standing there.

Three of them they recognized were Coach Keck, Mr. Bolhofner and Ms. Pham; all of whom they remembered from orientation long ago. Seconds later, another person made their way onto the stage; one that Lincoln didn't recall seeing before. She was a tall and slender Hispanic woman with black hair done up into a floofy bun.

She a red headband wrapped around her hair, wore a yellow shirt under her dark blue jacket, a black skirt, yellow hooped earrings and red shoes. Upon looking at this woman intently, Lincoln tilted his head in confusion and gave a soft murmur. _"Huh...Don't remember crossing paths with this lady when Clyde and I went on our orientation tour, last year" _Lincoln thought to himself,_ "she must be one of the school's teachers or something."_

Before Lincoln could think any further on this, the woman soon approached the microphone and lightly tapped it; causing the feedback to echo a little. This noise resulted in all the students plugging up their ears in annoyance, many of whom were softly murmuring things like "what gives" or "okay...we hear you." Once everyone had gone silent, the woman smiled and got right down to business.

"Good morning, students; I hope you had a wonderful break" she greeted happily, "I'm Principal Ramirez, for those of you who don't know me and I'd like to welcome you to a new school year at Royal Woods Junior High." This proclamation caused both students and staff to go into a light series of respectable applause. Once the clapping subsided, Principal Ramirez continued on with her speech.

She spoke of how "happy" she was to see many familiar faces amongst the students, how eager she was to get to know the new ones and promised that if everyone behaved well, they would all "get along smoothly." "However, as with many things in life; some changes will be added to the school's curriculum, starting today" Principal Ramirez announced, "but do not worry, they are all quite reasonable." Feeling confused yet somewhat, rather intrigued; Lincoln turned his full attention towards the stage.

At that moment, a young lady suddenly stood up; one who seemed to make Lynn feel rather on edge. She was a lovely woman with long auburn hair, a floral crown around her head and sported a pair of pink teashade sunglasses. She wore white bellbottom pants with floral designs along the thighs, a loose/flowy skirt around her hips, above-the-knee boots, a fake leather vest over her long-sleeved boho shirt and had a bauble on her necklace in the shape of the yin-yang symbol.

The moment he saw this woman smile out at the crowd of students, Lincoln felt slightly less anxious. "Good morning, younglings" greeted the woman, "my name is Ms. April Rains and I've been assigned to be your new guidance counselor." Not long after saying this, she encouraged students to pop into her office; if they ever needed someone to talk to.

Ironically, this announcement was met with a stone dead silence; which did little to dampen Ms. Rains' incredibly positive demeanor. Once she took her seat, another familiar face to Lincoln stood up to the mike; Coach Keck. "Some of you may already know lil' ol' me" the gym teacher said gruffly, "but I'm here to bring up one of the changes Principal Ramirez mentioned earlier."

Without delay, she popped her whistle into her mouth and gave it a little toot; which caused the side doors of the auditorium to suddenly burst open. Then, everyone gasped in awe; as a rather burly looking figure stepped onto the stage. He was dressed in the classic lumberjack attire; comprising of blue jeans, thick work boots, a plaid shirt and a matching ear-flap hat.

He appeared quite muscular with strong arms, equally strong-looking legs and sported a rather thick beard on his face. As expected, the sight of this stranger caused many ladies in the auditorium to hoot and holler with delight. But Lincoln quickly noticed a few males doing the same thing.

_"Wow! This guy looks pretty awesome" _he thought, _"I wonder who he is...or what he's doing here?" _As if on cue, Coach Keck called for everyone's attention and gestured towards the lumberjack. "No doubt, all of you may have heard about certain...incidents that occurred; in the previous year" she stated, causing the students to lightly murmur in agreement; "one of said incidents involved our mascot for the Royal Woods Softball Team, the Squirrels."

Upon hearing mention of the Squirrels, Lincoln's body suddenly tensed up; his mind flashing back to the indignities he suffered in the "accursed" mascot suit. Then, just as he felt himself falling deeper into his anxieties; Lincoln felt someone's hand rest lightly upon his shoulder from behind him.

He turned around slightly, expecting to maybe one of the Gal Pals to be offering him up some emotional support. But instead, much to his surprise; he was met with an entirely new face. It was a young African-American student with thick dreadlocks tied into a ponytail, a gold ring hanging off his left ear and he had what looked like a peach-fuzz beard.

He appeared quite big with is broad shoulders, round yet solid belly, had a broad chest and when Lincoln looked down at the boy's hand on his shoulder, he saw that it was big enough to hold his face. At first glance, he looked like a Middle School version of a night club bouncer; which made Lincoln feel a little intimidated. But as he looked up into his eyes, Lincoln saw only tenderness.

It was as if this boy's expression was telling him he had nothing to be afraid of. After looking at the boy for another moment and taking in a calming breath, Lincoln turned his attention back towards the stage; where he heard Coach Keck briefly mention something about a "new mascot." "Due to the...er, 'negative feedback' that developed around our former Squirrel mascot last year; the time has come to try something new" she stated, "so...meet the newest addition to our school; the Royal Woods Lumberjacks!"

With that declaration, the lumberjack-like fellow proceeded to do all manner of dances; all while spinning his rubber ax like a baton. As he did this, the cheer squad came on stage and performed an impromptu routine in honor of the new mascot/team; "COME ON, JACKERS; DON'T YOU FROWN; CHOP THE COMPETITION DOWN!" Surprisingly, this new cheer seemed to have worked; as all the students found themselves shouting victory hoots with incredible passion.

Even Lincoln couldn't help but cheer along with the crowd, despite not being much of a sports fan. After letting the students have their fill of cheering, Principal Ramirez called for silence and brought up a few more new additions to the curriculum. Among these were new cafeteria staff and menu items, the addition of a directory on the walls of some hallways, new equipment in the gymnasium and most importantly, a strict anti-bullying rule.

"Any form of bullying; be it in the halls, within the classroom, the cafeteria or even online will _not _be tolerated" she decreed firmly, "in other words...the moment we learn that you've posted an embarrassing video or image of your classmates online, there will be consequences." While some of the students began scoffing softly at their principal's threat, Lincoln felt thankful that Luan wasn't there.

If any of _her_ online material had been found, the administration would chew her head off. Meanwhile, Principal Ramirez could sense that the students weren't taking his warning seriously. Thus, she gave a whistle and soon; several officers appeared onstage with him.

"I can see you won't take my warnings seriously" she said knowingly, "which is why, by order of Superintendent Chen, members of the Royal Woods Police Force will be acting as security for our school." When a student asked why officers were called in to perform the task, one of the policemen stared out into the crowd and made his way towards the podium. At first; Lincoln expected them to be either Miss Higgins, Simmons or Campos.

But instead, much to his surprise; it was an entirely different figure he hadn't seen before. He was a well-built man with a broad chest, black hair made into a buzz-cut hairdo, mutton chop sideburns and had a chiseled jaw-line. "Students...last year, it has been brought to the attention of Superintendent Chen that numerous acts of abuse and bullying have taken place within the school district" the man explained firmly "students pantsing one another in the hallways, stuffing lockers full with garbage, relentless prank sprees, viral posts of embarrassing moments...just to name a few examples."

Upon hearing mention of the pantsing and garbage in lockers, Lincoln suddenly remembered all the times Ronnie Anne once did such things to _him_ back in Grade School. Of course; looking back on it, he now saw it all as innocent childish fun. But if she still lived in Royal Woods, Lincoln realized that her actions might not be tolerated in this new curriculum.

As for the other examples; he was, once again reminded of Luan's pranking sprees. It was then that he realized that this rule might not have been made out of reference to his past drama. Rather, he realized that Luan may have become rather notorious as a prankster while in Middle School.

Now that officers of the law would be monitoring things, however; he doubted that such shenanigans would ever happen again. Before he could think any further on it, Principal Ramirez made one final regarding class schedules; which would be handed to each of them at the door after the assembly. "On that note; I'd like to, once again welcome you all to our new school year" she declared, "here's hoping for a good year for us all."

The moment the principal said this, one thought echoed through Lincoln's mind; _"that makes two of us, Ma'am."_

(Line Break)

Minutes later, the students poured out through the auditorium doors and were off on their way towards their first period classes. After being handed his schedule, Lincoln looked it over to see what class he'd be off to first. But as he was walking down the hall, studying his paper; he failed to notice someone sticking their ankle out in front of him.

"Okay...According to this, I'm heading down to meet my Homeroom teacher first" he murmured softly, "then, it's off too..." Before he could finish his train of thought, Lincoln found himself stumbling over onto the floor. As he lay there, softly moaning in pain; Lincoln suddenly overheard sounds of mocking laughter ringing out above him.

"Best watch your step, twerp" a female voice shouted mockingly to him, "don't want your white hair turning red with blood!" With a soft groan of discomfort, Lincoln checked over himself to see if there were any signs of injury. Thankfully, everything appeared to be in one piece.

Afterwards, he glanced upward to try and find out who it was that tripped him. It was then that he saw what looked like an 8th Grader looming over him. She was dressed in a short-sleeved wool shirt, black jeans and had a pair of matching black sneakers on.

Her fiery-red hair was done up into a ponytail and though her eyes were a rather cute shade of pink, Lincoln could clearly see the spark of a sociopathic soul burning within them. Upon glancing over his shoulder, Lincoln could see another 8th Grader standing behind him; possibly one of the girl's friends. He was dressed in a typical "Punk Rock" look; complete with a leather jacket, a spiked dog collar, matching spiked wristbands, blue jeans with tears at the knees and sported a red spiked Mohawk.

To the left of _this_ student was a 7th Grader, who was leaning casually up against the lockers. From his crew cut hairstyle, physique and the sports jersey he wore; Lincoln immediately presumed this guy was a jock. What was interesting however, was the fact that the aforementioned jersey had the old Squirrels mascot on the back.

As this trio loomed over him, Lincoln suddenly felt himself quivering slightly with fear. _"Just as I feared" _he thought nervously, _"there _are _students who haven't forgiven me for what I did last year...and now, they're probably here for some payback."_ Surprisingly, in spite of the fear that he felt welling up inside; Lincoln still attempted to apologize for his past mistakes.

But before he had the chance to speak, the jock kid hoisted Lincoln up by his collar and slammed him up against the lockers. "So..._you're _the famous Lincoln Loud, huh" he snickered cruelly, "hard to believe such a little brat like _you_ caused a family as big as yours so much trouble." Upon hearing the boy's comment, Lincoln stiffened slightly; wondering how he could've known about it.

It was then that he remembered how his family's trial was broadcasted all over Michigan, probably all over the country. With this realization in mind, it made sense why this student would be acting so hostile towards him now. "Because of you, kid; Coach Keck banned Lynn from football tryouts" the jock kid growled, "she's been our star player since she was in 6th Grade!"

This reveal caused all the color to suddenly drain out of Lincoln's face, in an instant. It was in that moment that he realized just how dead he truly was...and First Period hadn't even started yet. "Oh-ho-ho! Just you wait, squirt" the redheaded teen snickered cruelly, "Biffy here is really going to let you have it!"

With that said, the jock known as "Biffy" drew his right fist back while holding Lincoln up with his left; ready to punch him. At first, Lincoln took a look at his surroundings; hoping to find signs of Clyde, any of his Gal Pals or even _Lynn_ around. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any sign of them; presuming they might already be in homeroom now.

_"Guess I'm on my own right now" _Lincoln thought worriedly, _"I knew this would be happening...but I never expected to find myself in _this _situation so quickly!"_ While Lincoln hung off the ground in Biff's grip, he hoped that something would come along and save him at the last moment.

Then, before Biff could even thrust his fist out three inches; someone arrived and took hold of his arm, causing him to stop. Throwing caution to the wind, Lincoln opened his eyes to see what was going on. Much to his surprise, it was the same mystery student he saw from the auditorium earlier.

Beside him stood a young lady who also appeared African-American; she was tall (though only measured up to the big boy's chest) with dark brown skin and had brownish-black hair that was pulled into a large, poofy afro-like bun (which immediately reminded Lincoln of Whitney.) She was dressed in a purple striped shirt, dark red shorts with a white stripe on the side and wore a pair of white sneakers. Upon seeing the big guy, Biff couldn't help but smile.

"Heya, Big O" he greeted with a sly chuckle, "you want the first shot at the twerp...he's all yours." Rather than accept the jock's offer, the one called "Big O" simply crossed his arms and shook his head reply. "Actually, my man...I came here to warn you" he said in a soft bass-baritone style voice, "my sister here saw one of them officers headin' this way on monitor duty and if she catches ya roughin' this kid up...well, you know."

Biff and his crew suddenly tensed up, upon hearing this message. At the same time, they felt conflicted with choosing whether to give Lincoln his "rightful punishment" or to flee the scene. At that moment, they caught a glimpse of a female officer approaching their location near the end of the hall.

This gave the group of teens enough reason to leave Lincoln behind...for now. "You got lucky, you little rat" Biff growled softly, "but make no mistake...you _will_ pay for what happened here, before the day's over!" With that threat made; Biff dropped Lincoln unceremoniously on the floor, snapped his fingers and fled the scene with his posse following close behind.

For a moment or two, Lincoln tried his bed to catch his breath and dust himself off. Unfortunately; by the time he was finished, the officer spotted him and gave a soft glare. "No loitering, kids" she said in a soft yet firm tone, "hurry off to class before the late bell rings."

Without pause, "Big O" helped Lincoln up and helped dust off his clothes. "Sorry about that, Ma'am" he said politely, "this young man had...a bit of a spill and we were just helping him up." As if on cue, Big O's "sister" plucked Lincoln's backpack off the floor and handed it back to him; after making certain everything was still intact first.

"Very well, then; thank you for your kind gesture" said the officer, "now...head on off to class, all of you." With that command, the three students said farewell to the policewoman and went off on their way. "Hey, uh...thanks for...you know, helping me out back there" Lincoln murmured shyly, "I wasn't looking forward to getting into a fight on my first day...or getting detention."

Big O smiled down at Lincoln, slapped him a high-five and assured him it was no trouble. "Sorry y'all had to deal with Biff, Lincoln" the young lady stated, "guy's a rich, snooty transfer student from Huntington Manor; he's been mooching offa Lynn's skills in Football for almost a year." Big O gave a deep yet brief chuckle at this, adding that Biff only signed up for the free college scholarship.

"Still, he had every right to be mad" Lincoln murmured, "after what happened between..." The moment he heard the young lady address him by name, Lincoln's train of thought came to a screeching halt. "Wait a sec, how did you guys know my name" he asked confusedly, "I mean...I think I've already got a good idea but still."

The duo chuckled softly at Lincoln and told him that "the truth would be revealed, in time." After that, they said their goodbyes and went off on their way; expressing their hopes to meet up again later. After waving goodbye to them, Lincoln hoisted his back onto his shoulders and went off to his homeroom.

(Scene Change: Mr. Bolhofner's Math Class)

Time passed and Lincoln arrived in the classroom for his Third Period subject, Math. As luck would have it; upon entering, he discovered Clyde was among his classmates. He also spotted Cici sitting in the middle row beside her friend, Byron. _"This is a good sign" _he thought to himself with a sigh, _"maybe being around some familiar faces may help put me at ease a little."_

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts by Mr. Bolhofner; who was gesturing for him to take his seat. Lincoln did as he was told, walked over to the second row of seats and sat himself in the middle. "I hope you all had a relaxing summer, kids" greeted Mr. Bolhofner, "'cause it's time to work out those brain muscles a bit with some division!"

Despite the man's rather firm yet mildly enthusiastic tone, the classroom greeted his announcement with the typical response; weary groaning. As Lincoln took out his notebook to begin his work, he reached his hand into his backpack and...his jaw fell. Much to his shock and surprise, he discovered that his pencil was nowhere to be found inside.

_"It must've dropped out when those jerks tripped me" _he thought worriedly, _"of course, I might be wrong." _With a determined look in his eye, Lincoln began to feverishly search his bag for any one of his pencils...only to find nothing inside. Just as he was starting to fear the worst, a soft voice suddenly reached Lincoln's ears.

_"Hey...psst" _the voice whispered, _"did you lose your pencil, _amigo; _you can borrow one of mine."_ Mildly startled by this offer, Lincoln eased his head up out of his backpack and located the student who was speaking to him. It was a young 7th Grader with emerald-green eyes, lips as luscious as a peach coated lightly with blue lip gloss, she wore a pair of Peridot dangle earrings and a purple scrunchy in her hair; which gave it a long ponytail.

She was dressed in a light-pink long-sleeved tank top, light-blue baggy jeans, had a golden bracelet around her right wrist and sported a pair of open-toe hippie style sandals; which showed off all ten of her red painted toenails, Needless to say, she looked rather cute and Lincoln knew it. But alas, much like he does with any other new gal he met; the young Loud boy swiftly became tongue-tied.

"Um...I, uh...ba...ba..." he mumbled, "er...I mean; may I borrow one of your pencils, please?" The girl let out a soft giggle and gently placed the pencil into his hand, causing him to quiver. "You are a strange one" she murmured with a light grin, "but it's okay, _chamaco;_ I like people who are a little odd."

With that said, she turned herself around and proceeded to jot down the notes. Meanwhile, after hearing the girl call him _"chamaco;"_ Lincoln quickly snapped out of his slightly love-struck daze. "Hold on a minute...what did she just call me" he murmured, "the only other person I know that calls me that nickname is..."

Before he could finish his thought, the young Loud boy suddenly heard Mr. Bolhofner roughly clear his throat in impatience. "Since you appear so eager for a discussion, Mr. Loud; perhaps you'd like to try and answer the Division problem on the board for us" he challenged, "if a train is traveling a distance of 200 miles at a speed of 60 MPH, how long will it take to reach its destination?" With the question presented, all eyes soon fell upon Lincoln.

In the past, Lincoln would feel a little nervous about suddenly being thrust into the spotlight. But thanks to his friends, he developed a stronger sense of confidence and now felt like a good chance to express it. Of course, he still needed to really rack his brain; in order to find the answer.

"This seems...a little familiar to me, Sir" Lincoln murmured, "but I believe the answer is...3 and 1/3 hours?" For a moment or so; the room was so silent, one could hear the flag outside flapping in the soft breeze. Then, after what felt like an eternity; Mr. Bolhofner smiled at him softly and proclaimed "that's correct, Mr. Loud; not bad on your first try."

With that said, he returned to the board and began writing out the next problem. Meanwhile, one or two students grumbled softly; proclaiming Lincoln only had some "beginner's luck" with his correct answer. At the same time; Clyde, Cici and Byron were all softly congratulating Lincoln on his minor victory.

"Thanks, I actually can't believe I got it right" he sighed softly, "guess I can thank Lisa for her time tutoring me in Math." Mere seconds after he said this, Lincoln's expression quickly shifted from happy to anxious. "To be honest, though...I really was hoping not to get called up first" he sighed, "but I ended up getting a little...distracted."

Before anyone could say another word, Lincoln pointed his finger slightly at the girl he saw before. Upon taking notice of her, Byron suddenly tensed up. "You were making goo-goo eyes at Dolores" he questioned softly in surprise, "not a good idea, lil' dude...her mom's a cop."

After hearing this reveal, Lincoln came close to stumbling out of his seat. Of course, it wasn't the fact that Dolores' mother was a police officer. Rather, after remembering the nickname she addressed him by earlier; he had a sinking feeling about who she might be.

But for now, he decided to push that thought aside and focus completely on the lesson at hand.

(Scene Change: The Art Class Room)

After Math, Lincoln and Co. headed off to Art Class for their next period; which made Lincoln feel a touch more at ease. "Finally...after pushing my brain to its limits in there, I need a little break" he groaned while facing the "viewer," "and Art is my specialty." As Lincoln stepped into the classroom, he saw something that made his spirits rise slightly higher.

Not only did he spot Clyde in attendance; he also saw that Jordan, Stella, Haiku and Phoebe were in the class as well. But after almost getting distracted moments ago, Lincoln chose to wait until later to touch base with them. Soon, the teacher arrived and asked everyone to take their seats.

"For today, I'm going to test your memories" she stated, "by which, I mean I want you to paint for me what _you_ thought was the most beautiful memory from your summer break." While this wasn't a hard assignment, Lincoln found himself feeling slightly conflicted. His summer was filled with so many great moments, he couldn't bring himself to choose _one._

In the end, he simply decided to wing it and paint the first thing that popped into his head. While doing so, he decided to browse around and see what everyone else was doing; for curiosity's sake. All around him, Lincoln could see his classmates making all sorts of lovely paintings.

He saw Haiku making a portrait showing off a sunset underneath a starlit sky. He saw Stella painting an image of her granny's old house and saw Phoebe painting an image of Great Lakes City Sky Needle building, one of her favorite spots from the gang's trip there. Upon taking a glance over in Clyde's direction, however; Lincoln raised a surprised eyebrow.

The painting was one of him standing before a giant golden beam scale. In the left bowl, Lincoln saw that Clyde painted a mini version of Lori and in the right bowl, he saw a mini Chloe; who was another girl whom he felt close with. Upon taking note of each aspect of the painting, Lincoln suddenly understood its meaning.

At this point in his Clyde's life, he's now found himself in love with _two_ ladies now. Yet, at the same time; he found it difficult to choose between them. Of course; the choice was obvious, Clyde would be better suited with a girl his own age.

But Lincoln knew his friend to be a somewhat, hopeless romantic and couldn't help but smile a little. After a while, Lincoln finally got started on his own painting. However, because he had difficulty in choosing one specific memory to paint about; he decided to do something...unexpected.

For the next fifteen minutes, Lincoln was pouring through all manner of colors and moving his paintbrush about like he was swinging a sword. This did not go unnoticed by the other students or the teacher. "I do appreciate the enthusiasm, Lincoln" said the art teacher, "but please, be mindful and try not to splash too much paint around."

For about a second or two, Lincoln didn't appear to have heard the teacher's wishes. But then, after seeing some of the paint splotches on his smock; he quickly realized what he was doing and slowed down his brushing speed slightly. "Heh-heh...sorry about that, Ma'am" Lincoln chuckled sheepishly, "I must've got really deep into the zone there."

Surprisingly, the teacher accepted his excuse; proclaiming that every artist has had such situations happen to them, every now and again. Then, when she took a look at Lincoln's painting; she gasped. On the canvas was a collection of assorted symbols of some kind; painted in what could be seen as a collage.

"This is a most interesting piece, Lincoln" the teacher complimented, "would you care to explain what it means." Once again, Lincoln found himself in the spotlight in the classroom. This time, however; it was in a less stressful situation. "Well...over the course of my summer break, I had far too many good memories to choose from" he explained, "so, I decided to reference them all."

From here, Lincoln went on to describe the meaning of some of the symbols on his collage. There was a skyscraper, which he said represented a trip he took to Great Lakes City. Then; there was a beach umbrella, a knight's helmet (representing his trip to the Ren Faire,) a collection of party balloons (representing his birthday celebration) and a symbol showing three stars (which he explained was meant to represent star-gazing.)

Of course, _these_ were but a few of the symbols he painted on his canvas. Unfortunately, he had very little time to talk about _all_ of them. "My friends and I had been through so much during the summer" Lincoln sighed, "so...you can see why I had trouble choosing just _one _idea to work with."

After hearing this explanation, the class broke out into a series of soft applause. "What a clever idea, Mr. Loud" the art teacher said with delight, "and I especially like the history behind each of the symbols as well." Among the clapping students were the four Gal Pals, who appeared both impressed and touched by Lincoln's painting.

But some of the other students glowered slightly at him, proclaiming his work to be "disgustingly sentimental." As Lincoln gave a slight bow at the class, thanking them for their applause; he suddenly noticed someone studying his painting intently. She was an 8th Grader with long hair that was as red as a burning flame, had a light collection of freckles on her cheeks, wore a t-shirt that bore the words "Wild Child" on the front, a pair bootcut jeans and red sneakers with gold flames on their sides.

As this girl stared at his painting, Lincoln couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong. But then, he saw her nod with approval and give out a pleased murmur at his artwork. "You've certainly been busy, friendo" she chuckled with a smile, her voice harboring a light country accent; "the farthest _I've_ traveled durin' the summer was when we went to Lake Michigan to see my meemaw."

As proof her words were, this girl turned her canvas slightly and revealed her painting. It was a rather modest-sized yet very cozy looking cabin by the lake and in the yard, Lincoln saw doodles of a family; which he surmised was the girl and her kinfolk. "Very well done, Ellie" praised the art teacher, "being with family is an excellent summer memory to have."

Upon hearing her say this, Lincoln suddenly felt a shiver of sadness flow through him. Even though he came across his family here and there on multiple occasions, over the summer; he had little quality time to spend with them due to their service work. Were it not for the Gal Pals (his "surrogate family" if you will) sharing some of _their_ time with him, his break would've been a bust.

Just then, Lincoln felt someone lightly patting him on his shoulder. To both his surprise and mild confusion, it was the girl from before (whom the teacher addressed as Ellie.) "Keep your chin up, boy" she said with a warm smile, "like my mama always says; 'ya can't find no silver linings, if'n you keep lookin' down at your shoes all day.'"

Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little at the statement, thinking it was both silly and yet...rather uplifting to hear.

(Scene Change: Cafeteria)

A half hour or so passed and after Art Class had ended, Lincoln made his way into the lunch room. Thus far, his first day of school had been...eventful; to say the least. _"I wonder where everyone is"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"boy, do I have a lot to tell 'em."_

With his lunch bag in hand, the young Loud boy began to search around the cafeteria; hoping to spot any familiar faces. As luck would have it; he soon spotted both his Gal _and_ Guy Pals, sitting at a table near the left side. "Over here, Linc" Zach exclaimed, "there's plenty of room!"

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln made a quick yet steady beeline for the table. But as he passed by some of the other students, he couldn't help but notice some of them giving him sideways glances. As one would expect, this made Lincoln feel rather self-conscious.

When he finally reached the table, he emptied out his lunch items and placed his lunch bag over his head; confusing his friends. "Um...dude, are you okay" Phoebe asked confusedly, "this is the second time you tried to hide your face from everyone." The rest of the gang sounded off in agreement and asked Lincoln if anything was amiss.

After letting out a reluctant sigh, Lincoln removed his bag from his head and told his friends everything. He told them of how the boy, Biff tripped him in the halls _and_ attempted to punch him. He mentioned how he almost got distracted in Math Class and to top it all off, he brought up the many glares he received from people.

"You know what's even stranger" questioned Lincoln, "three times today, I came across some kids who either addressed me by name or helped me out in times of crisis without so much as a second thought." It was here that he brought up the kids he met earlier. Gals like Jordan, Paige, Cristina and even Haiku couldn't help but find the circumstances oddly coincidental.

Meanwhile, Zach quickly went into "conspiracy mode;" presuming that the mystery students were only "acting" nice just so Lincoln would lower his guard. "Then, when he least suspects it...WHAM" he exclaimed while slamming his fist atop his sandwich, "they decide to finish what Biff tried to start." This idea caused Rusty to suddenly chuckle sarcastically, proclaiming that "nobody could be _that _cold."

"I for one find the whole story a little hard to believe...no offense, buddy" murmured Clyde, "I mean, I haven't seen this big kid you mentioned even once today; so, how could he be..." Before he could finish his sentence, a large shadow suddenly loomed over both the young McBride and half the table. After gulping down a nervous lump in his throat, he nervously took a glance at the boy behind him.

When he saw the boy's face looking down at him; poor Clyde became so nervous, his glasses fogged up from sweating so much. Then, much to everyone's surprise; he started popping and locking while making robot noises. "ERROR! ERROR! THREAT DETECTED" Clyde exclaimed in a robot-like voice, "initiate defensive measures!"

Upon saying this, he quickly dove underneath the lunch table; causing the big kid to stare in blank confusion. "Yo, white haired kid" he called out softly, "is your friend okay...he looked like he just saw a ghost." After taking a moment to find _his _voice, Lincoln smiled sheepishly and said that Clyde was fine.

"He just gets...nervous, whenever he meets new people; at times" Cici added suddenly, "it happened when he first met me and Phoebe, a long time ago." After that, she urged the big kid to take a seat at the table with them. "Y'all got room for three more, Cici" another voice called out, "we could use the company."

Curious, Lincoln looked his shoulder and saw something that almost made him faint. Standing beside the tall kid were the three girls he came across earlier. _"Okay...are these guys following me or something" _Lincoln thought confusedly, _"and why does it seem like Cici knows one of them?"_

Before he could think much on it, Lincoln suddenly felt himself bounce slightly in his seat. He turned to the side and saw that "Big O" had taken a seat in one the table's open spaces. Due to his stature, him sitting down must've caused the seat Lincoln sat on to bounce slightly.

After this, the three girls took their seats beside Liam; causing the young country boy to become rather bashful. Meanwhile, Cici was shaking hands with the foursome; while also casually greeting them. "When Lincoln told us he met a big kid, I had my suspicions" she said with a coy smile, "it's great to see you guys again."

The three young ladies echoed the same greeting, while the big guy said it felt too long since they've last spoken. While the scene was rather pleasant; for Lincoln, it also felt incredibly confusing. "Wait a second, wait a second" he calmly interjected, "you guys all know each other...since when?" After taking a moment to have a little giggle at Lincoln's confusion, Phoebe decided to help explain things.

"First things first, introductions" she stated, "Linc; these guys are some of mine and Cici's BFFs." The first of the foursome Phoebe introduced Lincoln to was the young Latina gal he met in Math. "This is Dolores, we first met back when _I _was in 6th Grade" she explained, "she's a bit of a mix bag; half-fashionista and half-tomboy."

Within seconds, everybody saw Lincoln's cheeks flushing a deep shade of red; which caused the girls to giggle a little. Finally, after he managed to collect just enough of his nerves; Lincoln reached into his backpack and pulled out a pencil. "Uh...T-T-Thanks for letting me borrow this" he murmured, "and it's n-n-nice to meet you."

Dolores tilted her head slightly in confusion, wondering why he was acting so timid. "This happens quite a bit with him" chuckled Stella, "my buddy here has a soft spot for pretty faces." After hearing this reveal, Dolores turned towards Lincoln and gave him a sly grin.

At the same time; after hearing his friend expose one of his minor faults, Lincoln snapped out of his awestruck days and glared softly at Stella while crossing his arms. "You're not supposed to tell strangers that kind of stuff" he grumbled, "even if some of our other friends might know them!"

This caused the foursome to laugh a little harder but they assured him he was fine. "I think it's rather adorable" Dolores said sweetly, "and my mother told me you were rather adorable, _chamaco._" There it was again; for the second time that day, this young lady called him a nickname that only one other person he knew often addressed him by.

But a split-second later, the idea quickly faded from his mind just as quickly as it came. _"It's impossible, they couldn't be related"_ he thought, _"it would be too weirdly ironic."_ Just as Lincoln went deeper into his train of thought, he felt something heavy patting against his back. After snapping out of his trance, Lincoln looked up and saw the boy named Omar holding something out to him.

It was a pencil, which didn't seem like that big of a thing; until Lincoln realized that it was _his _pencils. He could tell because it bore a small slip-on eraser on the back end that was shaped like an ace symbol. "My sister found this on the floor before I walked off to homeroom" explained Omar, "she figured it might've been yours."

With that said, he placed the pencil on the table and slid it over towards Lincoln; who timidly slipped it back into his backpack. "Uh...thanks for that" he murmured, "and thanks for...you know, helping me in the hall earlier." Omar smiled down at Lincoln and said he was "happy to help."

"Wait a minute, what happened in the halls" questioned Cristina, "you weren't trying to pick a fight, were you?" Without hesitation, Lincoln shot upright and shook his head vigorously, all while assuring his friends that he had no intentions of fighting anyone. "We saw it happen for ourselves, ladies" Tonya stated, "Biff tripped him up in the halls and tried to punch him, a split-second later."

Not long after that, Omar added _his_ part in the story as well; while also adding that one of the officers almost caught Biff in the act. Upon hearing all this, Clyde popped out from underneath the table and expressed his thanks to the two students for helping his bestie. Rather than accept his thank you, Omar turned towards Clyde and stared at him intently.

"You look familiar, lil' man" he murmured curiously, "there's just somethin' about your face that rings a bell to me." Upon hearing this comment, Clyde began to sweat profusely; worse than he did whenever Lori was around. It was then that he started to feel the same anxiety Lincoln said he felt earlier.

Meanwhile, Omar continued to study him from top to bottom; as if to make certain his hunch was correct. "Yeah...you _do_ look familiar" he stated, "I just can't figure out why." That did it; with that simple statement, Clyde fell to pieces and began to cry.

"OKAY, OKAY; WE KNOW WE SCREWED UP BEFORE" he exclaimed, "JUST...please, don't hurt me or my friend!" Much to Clyde's surprise, Omar suddenly burst into a fit of boisterous laughter; as did Tonya. When the two siblings stopped, they assured Clyde that he was okay; as was Lincoln.

"You can relax, lil' buddy; my bro wouldn't hurt ya" assured Tonya, "ya see...he knows what it's like to be a nervous little man." After saying this, she took out her phone and brought up a picture; which everyone assumed was her and Omar as kids. What really surprised Lincoln and Clyde was how the latter looked back then.

Instead of dreadlocks, he had slightly poofy hair. He wore square-framed glasses, wore a t-shirt with an image of a Muscle Fish character on the front and had an inhaler in his right hand. "Whoa! This is eerie" exclaimed Rusty, "aside from a few differences, Omar looks a bit like...Clyde."

You would think that such a comparison would upset him, correct? Well...surprisingly, after looking at the photo for himself; Clyde couldn't help but agree. "So..._that's_ where I saw ya" Omar chuckled, "it was in my mirror back when I was in 4th Grade!"

This announcement left much of the table's occupants speechless; with the exception of Tonya, Cici and Phoebe. "But...how" Lincoln inquired, "you look like you could be in High School, you're so big!" The moment these words passed his lips, the young Loud boy suddenly clamped his mouth shut; fearing he might've upset Omar.

Instead, the boy in question chuckled softly; confessing that he was used to people making such assumptions. "See...when I was 10, I had bit of a growth spurt" Omar explained, "I'm actually twelve but I _look_ as big as a High Schooler." When everyone asked what caused such a growth spurt to happen, Tonya said it was something "complicated."

"See...my bro here developed somethin' known as Gigantism, when he was eight" she explained, "it's something that causes the body to become bigger and/or taller than normal." Upon hearing this revelation, both Lincoln and Cristina gasped. When they watched The Princess Bride together with their friends, back in July; they remembered how one of the actors had such a condition.

However, this was their first time meeting someone _in person_ who also had it. After a while, Lincoln brushed off the thought and thanked Omar again for saving him from Biff. "To be honest...when you arrived, I got nervous" Lincoln confessed, "I really thought you were going to help Biff out in hurting me."

Once more, everyone feared that Omar would take offense to such an assumption. But instead, the boy in question smiled down at Lincoln and patted his head lightly; assuring him that he was safe. "Many people think my bro's a vicious tough guy because of how he looks" Tonya explained, "but the truth is, he's actually as soft as a cinnamon roll and just as sweet."

Not long after this was said, Clyde curiously looked up at Omar; as if to ask for some clarification. But the moment he took a look into his eyes, he could already guess the answer. "In that case, I guess it's safe to make proper introductions" he stated, "I'm Clyde McBride and you already met Lincoln Loud; together...we're Clincoln McCloud."

After hearing him mention of their combined name, Omar reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a laminated business card. "If that's the case; I'm guessin' _this _must belong to you, Lincoln" he inquired, "I found it on the floor where Biff dropped you." Feeling curious, Tonya asked to have a look at the card for herself.

After Omar handed it to her, she couldn't help but giggle at the charmingly goofy photo on the card and its subtitle; "Clincoln McCloud: BFFs." "We made a few of those, last year; when we came here for orientation" Clyde explained, "figured it would be a way to help introduce ourselves to other students." After hearing the explanation behind the cards, the three girls each let out a giggle.

"These are so silly and yet...a rather clever idea" Dolores stated, "very nicely done, boys." Not long after this, Jordan and Stella thanked Omar for retrieving Lincoln's card; saying it was quite sweet of him to do so. The moment the word "sweet" was mentioned, everyone's stomachs suddenly started growling; which meant that they were getting hungry.

On that note, Lincoln and his crew started their traditional lunch trade-off; which was something the four "newbies" wanted to join in on. "If y'all are makin' exchanges, might _we_ get in on it" Ellie asked, "I'll share with ya two of my fried green tomatoes for a slice of that there lasagna you got, Lincoln." Upon hearing that Lincoln had lasagna in his lunch bag, Tonya suggested sharing a little bit of her "po' boy" sandwich for a slice instead.

"I'll take that offer, if _he_ doesn't want it" Liam exclaimed, "and in exchange; I'll share a few of my hushpuppies." With a broad smile on her face, Tonya accepted the offer and made the trade. After that. Omar exchanged a Ziploc bag full of peanut butter celery sticks with Stella for a cup of her soup.

Before long; the whole group found themselves trading together, eating together and happily chatting together. Soon, Lincoln felt as though his earlier stresses were melting away. After everyone made their exchanges, the foursome decided to try and learn a little more about Lincoln and his friends.

"So, my man; what'cha like to do for fun" Omar asked, "me, I'm really into either playin' some games, hangin' with friends or sittin' at home watchin' stuff like Operation: Dessert Storm with the family." Upon hearing this reveal, Clyde was so surprised that almost choked on his drink. "Are you serious...I _LOVE _that show" he exclaimed, "after every episode, my dads and I like to try and recreate the recipes ourselves." This reveal almost caused Tonya's eyes to almost pop from her head in surprise and she expressed hope that Clyde would be willing to share his recipe with her, one day.

She then talked about how much Omar and _their_ mother loved doing the same thing, namely cooking and/or baking. "Me, I love chilling in my room while reading comics in my spare time" Lincoln stated, "my absolute favorite is Ace Savvy...as you could tell from my pencil's eraser." At first, he expected the group to mock him for his love of superheroes.

But instead, he saw Dolores turn her lunch bag upright; which showed off an image of Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang on the lid. "You like the girls too" Jordan gasped, "so do _we_...FYI, Lincoln here came up with the team himself." This reveal was, quite understandably met with some speculative murmurs.

"You sound as shady as a snake oil salesman with them claims, boy" Ellie muttered, "ya got any proof to back it up?" As if on cue; Stella brought out her backpack, reached inside and pulled out the first issue featuring the Gang. "I based each of the members off each of my sisters" Lincoln said confidently, "see for yourself."

Though still feeling skeptical, Dolores cleaned off her fingers and began to skim through Stella's copy; carefully studying each member of the Full House Gang. After almost a minute and a half, she closed the book and looked over towards Lincoln. At first, the young Loud boy thought she was displeased.

Finally; she slid her lunch bag over to him, smiled and asked "um...(ahem) could I...have your autograph, I love these characters." To say that Lincoln was shocked by this development would be a gross understatement. "Hold on just one moment, partner" Ellie interjected suddenly, "what sorta music do y'all listen to?"

In response; Lincoln's first answer was the rock band, SMOOCH. But he also added how much he loved his sister, Luna's music. "Well, dag my nabbit" she exclaimed, "I've been a SMOOCH fan for almost four years!" This reveal left Lincoln, Clyde and even the Gals awestruck.

Finally, when asked what their favorite TV shows were; Phoebe decided to answer for the foursome. "Omar's really into Dessert Storm, as you heard earlier" she stated, "the girls, meanwhile are really into The Dreamboat." With this reveal; Lincoln almost lost his balance, he was so shocked.

"I love those shows too" he stated, "it's one of my top favorites...but ARRGH will always be No.1 in my book." Upon hearing mention of the ghost hunting series, a mixed look of surprise and amazement appeared on Dolores' face. Feeling worried, Lincoln asked if she was okay; hoping she wasn't choking on anything.

"She's fine, dude" Cici assured, "ARRGH just happens to be one of Dolores' 'guilty pleasure shows,' next to Vest Friends." With this skeleton out of the closet, Dolores suddenly let out a deep whimper of shame. At first, she expected Lincoln to mock her for enjoying the show.

But instead, both he and Clyde told her there was no shame in liking somethin that wasn't "meant for you." "We once thought we were getting too old for loving Ace Savvy" Lincoln stated, "but...when I saw that a group of my eldest sisters' classmates were still into him, all those fears went away." After hearing Lincoln's little tale and getting a second opinion from Clyde, Dolores' demeanor became more relaxed.

"In that case...I just can't get enough of ARRGH" she squealed with glee, "when Hunter went exploring an old Mexican cathedral in the season premiere, back in July; I was on the edge of my seat!" Upon hearing mention of this; Lincoln suddenly glowed brightly with joy, happy to meet a fellow Hunter Specter fan. "Y'all, I can't believe we have so much in common" Ellie chuckled, "small world, ain't it?"

Lincoln couldn't help but share in her sentiment; after meeting with the likes of Biff and his friend, he feared the idea of becoming Public Enemy No.1 in the students' eyes. But instead, he found himself four possible new friends. _"Maybe, the rest of the day will turn out better."_

With this thought in mind, Lincoln decided to lower his guard a little; thinking he was safe, from that point on. But then, out of nowhere; a glob of mashed potatoes suddenly struck him square in the face. This attack caused Lincoln to fall back out of his seat.

Alarmed, Jordan and Stella rushed over to his side; hoping that he was okay. Meanwhile, the others suddenly overheard the sounds of someone cackling maliciously from behind. Omar turned around slightly and spotted a student in another table.

This young man appeared to be holding a spoon in his left hand, one that was lightly coated in potato residue. "How's that taste, Loud" he chuckled, "give me a sec and I come and pour some gravy on those taters for you!" This caused the other students in his table to laugh maliciously.

Now, you would think that such behavior would lead to Lincoln being filled with rage. In the past, this _would've _been the case...but he knew better now. After becoming accustomed to Luan pelting him with pies, over the years; this little sneak attack didn't seem to faze him.

So; he cleaned his face up with a napkin, dusted himself off and sat back down at his table. This end result not only left the jerky student confused but also Biff's crew as well. "That little rat was supposed to cry" seethed the punkish looking kid, "how else can we expose him for the wuss he is!?"

Vicky couldn't help but agree with her associate, thinking Lincoln only appeared strong because his "friends" were with him. "Have patience, everyone" Biff murmured softly, "we'll have our chance to get even, very soon."

(Line Break)

After lunch was over, Lincoln went off to his next class; English. He was both surprised and pleased to see that Haiku would also be in his class. To make things even better; not one of his other classmates glared at him, scowled at him or even whispered a malicious remark his way.

This all led Lincoln to believe that he would be safe, from that point on. But then, he realized that there was one class left in his schedule...Gym. "I could simply be getting worried over nothing" Lincoln murmured fearfully towards the "viewer," "but I've got a sinking feeling in my bones that something _really_ bad will happen during my final class...I just know it"

The moment he thought of this, Lincoln's mind suddenly envisioned all the ways people like Biff or his cronies would try to hurt him. These ideas ranged from being thrown through the basketball hoop, being terrorized in the Boys' Locker Room or the simple yet equally painful Dodgeball barrage. To make matters worse; as he looked over the class, he saw that a good number of the students were members of some of Lynn's sport teams.

This led Lincoln to believe they might _all_ be out for revenge against him, just like Biff. But just as his mind was about to be consumed by fear, the shrill sound of Coach Keck's whistle shook Lincoln out of his thoughts. "Okie doke, kids; we're gonna do something a little simple for your first class of the year" explained the coach, "time for some good ol' fashioned...DODGEBAAAALL!"

With this announcement and with one final toot of her whistle, both sides of the gym split into teams. However, Lincoln appeared frozen on the spot; his body shivering with the chill of fear. _"Of all games...why did it have to be Dodgeball" _he thought dreadfully, _"now, they'll have free reign to assault me!"_

The moment he thought this, Lincoln quickly slapped himself across the face; quickly snapping out of his fearful daze. "You're not a chump, Lincoln" he murmured, "you're a Loud and Louds stand strong...even when they're scared." With this thought in mind, Lincoln stood at the ready; waiting for the coach to signal the game to start.

Before that, Coach Keck began lining up a series of dodgeballs along the floor before both sides. The moment one of them was placed within _his _line of sight, Lincoln thought up a plan. He thought that if he could get his hands on at least, _one_ ball; he may have a chance to defend himself.

Of course, deep down; Lincoln knew he wasn't the fastest runner in his family. So, there was a strong chance his plan might fail. _"Still, you've already been through enough at Biff's hands" _Lincoln thought angrily, _"you're not going to let him do that to you again here...right!?" _

For a moment or two, the young Loud boy continued to psyche himself up; doing whatever he could to brush aside his anxieties. It seemed to do the trick; because very soon, a fiery look of determination began to blaze in Lincoln's eyes. Then, at long last; Coach Keck blew the whistle and Dodgeball was underway.

Like a bat soaring out of Hades (as Lucy would say,) Lincoln zoomed ahead towards the line of dodgeballs. But just as he was almost within arms reach of one, Lincoln's left foot got caught up in his shoelaces; causing him to trip over himself. Naturally, this brief moment of clumsiness did not go unnoticed by the other students.

Within seconds, several of them started laughing mockingly at his mishap; some of them outright calling him a klutz. Among those who laughed were, of course; Biff and his group. "Looks like someone tripped at the finish line" snickered Vicky, "which gives _us _just the opening we need."

With that said, Biff snapped his fingers and every student on _his _side of the gym collected their "ammunition." As Lincoln pushed himself up onto his knees with a soft groan, he soon caught sight of the group before him and went pale. "I'm dead" he whimpered softly, "I am so very...very dead right now."

At first, he tried to look for a way to defend himself; either offensively or to find cover. But all the other dodgeballs were taken and all the students on _his _side had already scattered. In the end, Lincoln was all alone and at Biff's mercy. "I told you I'd make you pay for ruining things here...and I _always_ make good on my promises" he growled with a malicious grin, "say good night. small fry!"

As Biff drew his arm back, ready to throw the ball; his two followers and all the other students who sided with him/had a score to settle with Lincoln started chanting wildly for him to finish the job. With no means of defending himself on hand and with no cover in sight, Lincoln was left feeling vulnerable. But then, just as all hope seemed lost; an idea came into his mind.

After taking in a calming breath, Lincoln stood at attention and looked Biff square in the eyes with a firm stare. "Guys...I'm sorry" he said suddenly, "I know you're all probably upset about my sister not being your MVP anymore...and a few other things. So...I'm sorry and I hope that will be enough for you all to try and forgive me, someday." This sudden confession caused Biff to seemingly freeze in place, while the other students on his side simply stared in confusion.

"The thing is, though...what's done is done" Lincoln said firmly, "my family faced justice, we've made amends with each other, we've moved on and...and I really hoped the rest of Royal Woods would've done the same; including you guys!" No one spoke a word, after Lincoln's statement; whether because they were still confused by his actions or because they were contemplating on what to do next. Meanwhile, those on Lincoln's side looked also upon the scene in silence.

But the six Gal Pals couldn't help but inwardly applaud Lincoln for wanting to make things right with everyone, even if the situation might not be as dire as he thought. "Whatever reasons you people have for hating me...I'm sorry you feel that way" Lincoln murmured in defeat, "but go ahead...pelt me with dodgeballs, if you think that will 'make things right.'" With that said, he closed his eyes and held his arms up; as if he were offering himself up as a sacrifice.

Understandably so, Clyde and the boys began to fear for their friend's safety. "M-M-Maybe they'll actually accept his apology" stammered Zach fearfully, "I mean, Lincoln's words _were_ sincere." For a few brief seconds; Clyde, Zach, Liam and Rusty all began to hope for the same thing.

But as they looked on in Biff's direction, they saw his eyes narrow tensely and a wicked grin appear on his face. "It takes a big man to admit his wrongdoings, kid" he snickered, "it also makes what I'm about to do all the easier!" With that said, he turned himself slightly and threw the dodgeball with all his might.

While still keeping his stance and his eyes shut, Lincoln bit his lower lip nervously; mentally preparing himself for the pain to come. Then, all of a sudden; his ears heard the sharp "twang" of a rubber ball hitting something. But when Lincoln opened his eyes, he was still standing; much to Lincoln's surprise.

Not long after, he saw what the ball had struck...or rather, _who _it struck. Standing in front of Lincoln was Byron, who was clutching the dodgeball that almost hit him tightly against his chest. In that moment, Lincoln suddenly realized what must've happened. _"Wow...I can't believe it, Byron took the hit for me" _he thought in surprise, _"the question is...why?"_

On the other side, Biff and his team blinked in confusion; trying to process what Byron had just done. "What is with you, man" shouted one of the students, "Biff had the twerp right where he wanted him!" Byron said nothing in reply; instead, he looked over at Lincoln and murmured "don't worry, pal...I've got your back."

Enraged by this defiance, Biff ordered his punkish colleague to try and hit him next. But much to their surprise, _his_ ball was caught by Margo; who was glaring daggers down Biff's way. "You leave Lincoln alone" she shouted, "whatever your beef is with him, he said he was sorry!"

Once more, the jock was enraged from being denied his chance at "retribution" and ordered his team to take no prisoners. With this simple command, Biff's team proceeded to try and hit Lincoln with as many dodgeballs they could throw. But yet again, each of them were caught by several members of _Lincoln's_ team.

"You best back off of Lincoln, Biff" exclaimed Polly Pain, "if you've got a problem with _him,_ you've got a problem with_ all _of us!" Upon saying this, several people suddenly appeared by Lincoln's side. Among them were his guy friends, the Gals and even some of _Lynn's _friends stood beside him.

"You...You're all helping me" Lincoln murmured confusedly at a girl named Paula, "but why; after everything I did, I thought you'd all still be mad." In response to this, Margo approached him and gave Lincoln a soft pat on the back. "It's as you said; what's happened, happened" she affirmed, "a bigger man would accept someone's apology with dignity and respect."

The moment he heard the term "respect," Biff growled softly and hawked a loogie on the floor. "A twerp like this doesn't deserve respect" he shouted, "he deserves a lesson, one about taking a sibling's abuse and not cry about it!" Rather than be intimidated by this statement, Lincoln's group only smiled smugly at Biff; as if they knew something he didn't.

"Is that so, big shot" Tonya said coyly, "then...I think Lynn may have a different view on things." No sooner had she said this, the door to Coach Keck's office slammed open; revealing the aforementioned teacher. At her side, much to Lincoln's surprise, was Lynn; who appeared to be dressed in a dark grey hoodie and light grey jeans.

_"I haven't seen her wear that look in years" _Lincoln thought in slight awe, _"not since _she _was the one in 6__th__ Grade."_ Not only did Lynn _look _different; in that moment, there was something about her that _felt _different as well (at least, to Lincoln.) While she had the same sort of "don't mess with me" look in her eyes, they didn't have the same raging fire in them like before.

Meanwhile, Coach Keck made her way over towards the kids and called for their attention. "What's all this here" she demanded, "I call for a simple game of Dodgeball and then, I get word that there are people in here who seem to be out for blood!" Upon hearing these words, Lincoln wondered how the coach came to learn about this or who spoke to her.

"We heard Biff say it himself, Ma'am" Omar called out, "he and his pack have been on Lincoln's case all day; constantly wanting revenge for what happened between him and his fam." Intrigued yet mildly frustrated by this, Coach Keck turned towards the aforementioned jock for a second opinion. "B-B-But Coach, it's for the best" Biff stammered, "it's because of _Lincoln_ that this school lost its star player!"

Upon hearing this claim, Lynn cleared her throat softly and asked if she could speak for a moment. At first, Biff and his team felt that she was going to side with them; bringing in some much deserved justice. But instead; she approached her brother, took a knee...and hugged him lovingly in front of everyone.

"I'm sorry you got harangued so much on my account, dude" Lynn said kindly, "but I'm happy to know you didn't let Biff bait you and lead you into a fight." To say Lincoln was surprised by this development would be a tremendous understatement. This girl _looked_ like his older sister, on the outside...but something felt different about her.

After releasing Lincoln from her embrace, Lynn turned towards Biff and demanded he back off. "Don't you understand, Lynn" Vicky exclaimed, "we're all doing this for _YOU!"_ Biff sounded off in agreement and proclaimed Lincoln deserved to be harmed, after costing the school its star player.

After taking a moment to process Biff's words, Coach Keck shook her head and let out a weary sigh. "These fanboys and fangirls will be the death of me...I swear" she muttered, "Loud didn't get cut from the teams she's in, Packard; she's on the reserves!" Upon hearing this revelation, the entire gymnasium echoed with loud gasps of shock.

Meanwhile, Lincoln did his best to collect himself; before he chose to get the 411 from Lynn herself. "You heard right, Bro" she said with a light chuckle, "I _chose_ to put myself on the sidelines...just in case my teams might need my help, someday." Even after hearing the news from the source, Lincoln _still_ felt confused; wondering why she did it.

"Look...I'll try to keep this simple" she stated, "all those Anger Management and Sensitivity classes I took during the summer really opened my eyes on things." Feeling curious, Paula approached Lynn and asked what kind of "things" was she opened up to? "Long story short; after learning how much my behavior affected my family and friends, I realized just how much of a brute I truly was" Lynn explained, "so, I've been making an effort to try and...you know, dial things back a little."

From here, she added that while she still loved to play sports; she never wanted to go back to what she used to be...all "in your face" and obnoxious about her skills. "So, I'm trying to bring back some of the old Lynn my brother once knew" Lynn stated, "the softer yet slightly reserved one while keeping a little of the sports me mixed in as well." After hearing all this, not only did Lincoln feel proud of his sister; Lynn's friends and the coach did as well.

But Biff and _his_ friends, on the other hand saw all this as Lynn becoming a total wuss; all because of her brother. "He still needs to pay" growled the punkish-looking kid, "and we're gonna see it happen, one way or another!" With that said, the group prepared to unleash their dodgeballs at Lincoln.

But then, Lynn quickly warned everyone on her side to quickly cover their ears. "Trust me" she murmured while looking Lincoln in the eyes, "it's best you do it before it's too late." While still confused about the request, Lincoln did as he was told. Soon, the rest of the students on his side did the same thing.

A split second after that, the whole gym echoed with the shrill sound of Coach Keck's whistle blowing; which caused the students on Biff's side to immediately drop their balls. Not long after that, they painfully covered their ears while groaning in annoyance. "Congrats, Packard" the coach grumbled, "because of you and your 'friends'' behavior, all the students on your side of the Gym just earned a trip to the office!"

This announcement was met with Biff and Co. moaning loudly with either regret or disapproval. "But...Ma'am, it's our first day" Vicky pleaded pathetically, "we can't see the office this soon!" Sadly, Coach Keck wasn't hearing it and she ordered the group to go hit the showers.

As the group marched off in shame, she turned towards Lynn and thanked her for the head's up she gave her. "Wait...hold on, what's going on here" Lincoln asked, "is this all some sort of prank?!" Coach Keck smiled down at Lincoln and shook her head, before revealing that Lynn had been informing teachers like her about some of the students' actions all day.

"Much like you, Bro; I also feared about my first day back" Lynn murmured, "I wondered...what would people think of me now, after all the stuff that's been said and done?" After hearing this confession, Lincoln didn't know whether to call it irony or coincidence that she felt this way. "Then, when I saw Biff trip you in the halls; I couldn't believe when I saw almost everyone go after _you _instead" Lynn grumbled, "talk about overzealous fans...am I right?"

Upon hearing this lighthearted jab at her "followers'" expense, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle softly. "The important thing here is that Linc is okay" Stella said reassuringly, "and that the guilty party is getting what's coming to them!" The group all shouted loudly in agreement, for a moment or two; before Coach Keck urged them to "simmer down."

"Best head on out to the track for a run, kids" she stated, "without another team; dodgeball's cancelled for today." The kids all sounded off obediently, placed the dodgeballs back onto the rack and hurried outside. Before he left, however; Lincoln took a moment to express his thanks to everyone for standing up for him.

"No problem, Lincoln" Margot said kindly, "those creeps had it coming the moment they were willing to hurt you after your apology." Upon hearing mention of it; Lincoln decided to express his regret, once again over everything that happened. But everyone, guys and gals, assured him that he was "a-okay."

"It's all water under the bridge, dude" a girl named Lainey chuckled reassuringly, "as long as you and your sis are okay again...nothing else matters." After giving Lincoln a light pat on the back, she and the rest of the girls went of into the Girls' Locker Room; while the boys went off to theirs. Before leaving, Lynn looked over her shoulder and gave Lincoln a "Victory" hand sign; as if to say they were cool too.

(Line Break)

At long last, the final bell rang; signaling the end of the school day and the kids came pouring out through the doors. The last to leave was Lincoln, who was currently sharing his number with some of his new friends. "So, Linc; you wanna hang at my place Saturday" Omar offered, "I got the new Gaming Goggles for my birthday and they came with that new survival game: '_The Haunted Asylum'_"

After giving it a few seconds thought, Lincoln happily accepted the offer; provided that nothing else came up at home that day. "Hope we'll get the chance to hang to, dude" Tonya stated, "I'm anxious to meet all them other Gal Pals of yours." That did it, this was the third time one or all three of the ladies seemed to know something about him.

"First thing's first" Lincoln said firmly yet politely, "how is it that you guys know me already...we've only just met." This inquiry caused Tonya, Dolores and Ellie to smile slyly to one another; each of them thinking they've kept him in the dark long enough. But just as they were about to speak, three sets of police sirens suddenly rang out; causing Lincoln to jump in alarm.

Then, after some feedback noise was heard; a familiar voice spoke out to him in saying _"I got you good, _chamaco!_"_ Upon hearing the nickname _and _the voice who said it, Lincoln looked up and spotted a long police van parked in the faculty lot. Upon seeing the vehicle's owners, both he _and _the Gals' collective eyes almost popped from their heads.

Standing beside the van was none other than Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos; who were all waving at them happily. "What the...What are they doing here" questioned Lincoln, "I thought they'd be back on the beat, now that my family's debt's been paid." To make matters even more confusing, everyone watched as the trio of officers proceeded to hug their new friends in greeting.

Not long after that, Officer Campos affectionately ruffled Lincoln's hair; which caused the Gal Pals to laugh. "I see you met our lil' friend, _niños y niñas_" the officer said sweetly, "hope he wasn't any trouble for you." Dolores chuckled at Campos' over-protectiveness and assured her that all was well.

"I mean, there were some ragamuffins tryin' to stir somethin' up with him" Ellie grumbled, "but other than that, he's been nothin' short of a sweetheart." Lincoln blushed bashfully at the comment, proclaiming that he did nothing special. "Are you kidding, _chico_" Dolores exclaimed, "you were willing to take a full-on dodgeball assault just to get some kids off your back...that took guts."

Before Lincoln could deny the claims again, Dolores silenced him by giving him a quick yet affectionate kiss on the cheek; causing the boy to become as stiff as a board. This left quite a lipstick mark on him, which the Gal Pals couldn't help but giggle at. Meanwhile, the other boys proceeded to question why their new friends never revealed who their parents were?

"There's two reasons behind that, my man" Omar murmured, "first off...y'all never asked us and second; when people hear that you're the child of a police officer, it causes them to either become extremely cautious or just plain scared of you." After hearing the second explanation, Lincoln suddenly snapped out of his earlier daze and understood why he was kept in the dark about things. _"I had my suspicions, when Byron told me Dolores was related to a cop"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"and it looks like they were right all along."_

When the gang's four new friends asked if them having cops for family felt weird to them, everyone sounded off with an enthusiastic "NO!" "If anything, it makes you guys even cooler" Clyde assured, "I just hope your families won't mind us all hanging out together." Without so much as a second thought, Officer Simmons laughed uproariously and assured everyone all was well.

"If y'all wanna hang together, have at it" Higgins stated, "just make sure you don't get involved in no suspicious business...ya hear?" While everyone knew that the officer was joking, the kids still swore to be on their best behavior. "_Perfecto"_ Campos said with glee, "you and your friends okay with taking the bus home, _chamaco?_"

Lincoln smiled up at the officer, gave her a thumb's up and assured her he was okay. "In that case, my man; see ya tomorrow" Omar said while high-fiving Lincoln, "and have a safe trip home!" With that said, he hurried off to the van; eager to get home. Meanwhile, the three ladies proceeded to hug Lincoln farewell; adding that it was a pleasure to meet him and his friends.

"I can't wait to tell Carol about you guys" Jordan said with glee, "the Gal Pals are always looking for new members; female _and _male." Upon hearing this, Ellie expressed great interest in wanting to meet their other friends. "If what my mama told me and Omar is true, your crew sounds like a barrel of laughs" Tonya stated, "that is...if they'll welcome us in."

Cici gasped dramatically at this assumption, as if her friend had said something obscene. "Of course Carol will welcome you, T" she said emphatically, "but we'll talk about that later; for now, have a safe trip back home!" With that said, everyone said their goodbyes and went off on their ways home; with Lincoln and Co taking the bus and their newest friend heading back to _their _homes in the van.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the school bus arrived at the Loud Residence; where both Lincoln and Lynn proceeded to step off. Upon entering the house; they were both greeted by the pets, their parents and all nine of the remaining sisters. "Welcome home, kids" greeted Lynn Sr., "how was your first day back?"

For a moment or so, neither of the two said anything; which lead everyone to believe something was wrong. But then, Lincoln smiled up at his father with a chuckle and said "put on some cocoa, Dad...because we've got a story for you."

(First AN: And so, Lincoln's first day of Middle School comes to an end. Sure, there were a few bumps on the path but he stood strong. In the end; he survived, kept his nose clean _and_ gained some new friends along the way. Here's hoping the rest of his Middle School semester goes well)

(Second AN: A note regarding the new group of characters featured in this oneshot. While Tonya *or as the show calls her "unknown Kangaroos team member #6*" is briefly featured in the show; Omar, Dolores and Eloise/Ellie are all original characters thought up by me. I just thought I'd point that out, in case anyone felt I stole anything. The same thing applies with Biff and the "punkish" member of his group.

Meanwhile, the character of Vicky is loosely based upon the Fairly Oddparents character of the same name. The main differences between them are their clothes and ages.)

(Third AN: To anyone who felt that this oneshot was another piece of "Lincoln Torture Porn" or that some of the kids were too mean-spirited towards Lincoln, understand this. Much of the kids against Lincoln were die-hard Lynn fans who loved watching her play. Whereas Biff and his group were just a bunch of lazy bums mooching off of her successes.

While it makes sense for fans to get uppity over their hero falling from grace, Biff and his crew were basically acting like spoiled brats whose doctor excuses were denied or when their cellphone privileges get revoked. Thus, to them; everything they were doing to Lincoln was what they would consider "justice" in Lynn's name. Think of Biff as a cross between Flash Thompson from Spider-Man and a teen, rich boy/jock version of Akainu from One Piece...but without the ugly sneer and facial scars)

(Fourth AN: In regards to Omar's character; the condition he has, Gigantism, is a real yet rare sort of medical condition that is known in the world. Two known figures who have this are Dalip Singh Rana/The Great Khali and Andre the Giant, who was referenced earlier on in the story)

(Fifth AN: While the idea of having officers patrol school hallways is often controversial. Whenever something hostile happens in real world schools, local governments feel that such security measures are necessary; should any kind of undesirable behavior/circumstances arise. Furthermore, in regards to the mentioning of prank sprees; that's meant to reference Luan's possible bad behavior for when _she _was in 6th Grade)

(Final AN: Along with Lincoln's own adventure, I thought it would be appropriate/nice to add some character development for Lynn. As such, I decided to give her the kind of personality she _used_ to have; back when _she_ was in 6th Grade. I also thought it appropriate to have her be in the Reserves, where her sports teams are concerned.

The reason, Lynn feared that going back to her old routine would cause her old vices to come back. Thus, Lynn's doing whatever possible to keep herself from relapsing)


	12. Trial by Campfire with the Gal Pals

Trial by Campfire with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: While out at the store with his mother, one afternoon; Lincoln runs into a familiar face. Eager to reconnect with this friend; he invites her to join him on a camping trip he, his new school friends and the Gal Pals plan on having in the coming weekend. But there is more to this campout than just eating marshmallows, singing and having fun.

Upon learning that the five newbies wish to join their group, Carol and the others offer each of them a little test to see if they're worthy of becoming part of the pack; telling a scary story. If they are each able to tell one that will _really_ leave the crew scared, they're in. But will Linc's old friend and his _new_ friends be able to think of such any such stories?)

On a brisk yet sunny afternoon; Lincoln and his mother, Rita were driving Vanzilla down to the supermarket for some groceries. After the events of the trial and after the latter part of Lincoln's family paid their debt to society; the family was allowed to enter the store, once again. However, this came with two important yet still quite reasonable conditions.

Firstly, only a small number of the Loud Family would be allowed in. The second condition was that the parents would have to accompany them to the store, whenever they chose to go there. No longer were Mr. and/or Mrs. Loud permitted to let minors like Lori or Lincoln do the shopping for them.

That kind of responsibility on top with managing the behavior/safety of their kin could not be handled by children. The Loud Parents agreed to these terms without delay...but informed their children that grocery pick-up would only happen on their off days; which usually happened every other week. This would mean that the kids would have to be mindful of their food; no more playful food-fights, no unnecessary experiments on produce and no hoarding.

In terms of the one rule, Lisa felt particularly bothered; mostly because she claimed her food experiments were for either more beneficial energy/fuel sources for their family or creating a means to "bring an end to world hunger." While both ideas were rather admirable, Mrs. Loud's ruling still remained. With all that settled, the Louds were welcomed back into the supermarket again.

But then, Mrs. Loud added one final rule to her grocery policy; one that was directed to _all_ her children. She consented to grant her children permission to buy something they had their eyes on (such as Lincoln's beloved Zombie Bran.) But they would only be given this opportunity; if they behaved well enough, if they didn't go too overboard with their choices _and_ if they agreed to offer up some of _their _money in paying for them.

After considering these policies, the Loud Kids all agreed they were rather fair; especially Lincoln. Thanks to the birthday money he'd been saving up along with the check he received during Spring Break for his Ace Savvy comic series, Checkmate; he had more than enough to spare. Of course, he had to keep it out of his sisters' collective reach at all costs.

Thankfully, he had his trusty "Socket" (or "Sock Pocket" for short) to keep it all safe in. On this particular shopping trip, Lincoln had his own list of things to get; albeit a small one. As he began to look over the list, he caught sight of the viewer and smiled.

"I'll bet you guys are wondering what _this_ is for, right" he asked in a wily tone of voice, "well...the Gal Pals and I have a big get-together planned for the upcoming weekend." After saying this, Lincoln explains that each member of the group was tasked with picking up certain items for their trip. On _his_ list, for example; he was tasked with picking up a family-sized bag of marshmallows, some chocolate, graham crackers and of course, cans of bug spray.

"Now, this trip is a really important one" Lincoln stated, "see...after finding out about my new school friends, Carol wanted to meet them for herself and see if they're 'worthy' of being part of the crew." From here, he added that the "newbies" would be given full info on their "initiation;" when the big day arrived. "I think it's wonderful that your new friends want to be part of your group, sweetie" gushed Mrs. Loud, "just make sure you all stay safe...or their mothers will be on my case again."

Lincoln smiled up at his mother and assured her everything would be fine. "Carol and her posse will be looking after us" he stated, "plus; Omar, Tonya, Dolores and Ellie are tougher than you think." Though she still had a sliver of doubt lingering inside, Mrs. Loud knew her son spoke the truth and nodded in understanding.

"You're right, honey; you're all in good hands" she stated, "just make sure you all behave yourselves while having fun." After rolling his eyes slightly, Lincoln smiled and gave his mother a "Scout's Honor" salute. "One other thing" Rita said suddenly, "make sure whatever stories you all tell don't seem too frightful, I know how you get when it comes to scary things."

Lincoln's face suddenly shifted between several cartoonish expressions of shock, upon hearing this. "Hey, I'm not _that _bad...anymore" he murmured, "sure, there was that time with The Harvester and when the power went off that one time...but I've toughened up since then!" No sooner had he said this, Lincoln's cellphone went off; causing him to give out a soft yelp of surprise.

After Lincoln recovered from the mild scare, he turned to the side to see his mother giving him a sort of "you were saying" smile and arched eyebrow. "That doesn't count, Mom" he whined softly, "loads of people get spooked when their phones go off...even Lucy." After letting out a brief yet soft laugh, Mrs. Loud pressed her foot down on the accelerator and continued on towards the supermarket.

(Line Break)

Moments later, Lincoln could be seen wandering about the aisles; collecting each item he had on his list. On his arm; he held a basket that currently contained a can of bug spray for himself, ten full-sized chocolate bars, a family-sized bag of marshmallows and a large box of crackers. "I can't wait to start making some s'mores with everyone" he giggled with delight, "now...what's next on my list."

As he continued walking down the aisle, Lincoln reached into his pocket and unfolded his modest-sized list of groceries, He was moments away from reading it over; when suddenly, he accidentally crashed into another patron. Both individuals soon fell backward onto their rears, after the collision.

Thankfully, they and their groceries were all still in one piece. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry" Lincoln exclaimed with concern, "I really should've been watching where I was going." As the young Loud boy helped the other patron up off the floor, he/she were seconds away from making a similar apology.

But when both individuals got a good look at one another, they gasped. Standing before Lincoln was a young lady...and a rather familiar one at that. Her name was Beatrix Yates, eldest child of the Yates Family; whom many considered to be the friendliest bunch in all of Royal Woods.

The last time he saw the family, it was at Gus' Games n' Grub during Spring Break. Before _that _time, he and the family met the Yates' after they've moved in next door to them. Either way, she didn't seem to have changed that much. Beatrix still wore her sleeveless white shirt, her blue shorts with yellow buttons, her teal headband and matching teal sweater; which was neatly tied around her shoulders.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Beatrix's trademarked joyful grin slowly formed on her face. Then, before Lincoln had a chance to speak up; she let out a joyful squeal and snatched him up into a hug. Mind you, it wasn't quite as tight as any of Carol's or Dana's...but it still knocked some air out of his little lungs.

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH" the eldest Yates child cried with delight, "Lincoln, it's so wonderful to see you again!" Using all the strength he could muster; he wriggled his arms out, awkwardly around the girl's neck and returned her embrace as best as he could. Upon doing so, he couldn't help but run his hands slightly through her long black locks; mentally admiring how soft it felt.

_"Does she visit the same spa me and the Gals visit or does her hair truly this naturally soft" _he thought to himself, _"maybe her mom helps manage her hair a little...maybe she can give Whitney some tips."_ After a while, Beatrix finally released Lincoln from her embrace and giggled. "It's been too long, Lincoln" she stated, "how have you been, are things alright between you and the family again?"

Without missing a beat, the young Loud boy nodded "yes" to both inquiries; adding that things have also been improving with everyone as of late. "How about school" she asked, "are you adjusting to Junior High life well enough?" Lincoln giggled softly and assured her that aside from some "first day follies" (as he liked to call them,) Middle School was going rather well.

"That's wonderful to hear" she said while clapping her hands giddily, "so...what brings you to the market, restocking on supplies?" Lincoln nodded in reply while also giving her the "on the nose" gesture. It was then Beatrix noticed the things in his basket. When she asked if the treats were for himself or his sisters, Lincoln gave a "so-so" gesture.

"We may eat whatever I bring back home" he stated, "but the truth is, I'm collecting some personal supplies for a campout some friends and I are planning for this weekend." Upon hearing this, Beatrix gave out a defeated squeal; confessing how much _she_ always wanted to try camping. "Why haven't you tried before...if you don't mind my asking" questioned Lincoln, "I'm sure your parents and siblings might like it."

Upon suggesting this, he suddenly saw Beatrix's smile flip over into a slight frown; which was something he didn't really expect. "Truth is...as much as we like the outdoors, none of us have ever camped before" she confessed, "sure; Mummy likes her garden and my youngest brother, Beau may enjoy making art...but we've never done such things beyond our own home." After this reveal was made; all was silent between them, for what felt like ages.

During this time, Lincoln found himself rubbing his chin in deep thought. Truth be told, something about B's story felt oddly familiar to him; in a way. He recalled a time where _he_ wasn't familiar with camping much either.

But after some outdoor sleepovers with Clyde, studying the survival techniques of Rip Hardcore and learning a few tips from his sisters (specifically Lynn and Lana) over the years; Lincoln loved doing it now. Then, the moment this memory came into his mind; he was struck by inspiration. "HEY! Why don't you join me and my friends on our trip" he exclaimed, "it'll be a good way to see whether or not camping is your kind of thing."

More than anything, Beatrix wanted to bounce with joy and happily accept the offer. But then, she soon discovered another minor issue with the plan; aside from her lack of camping experience. "I would be honored to join you, truly" she said with a light frown, "but this outing is for you and your friends...I don't wish to intrude."

Without a moment's pause, Lincoln gave Beatrix a faux shocked expression and shook his head in disagreement. "You wouldn't be intruding at all" he assured, "in fact, I'm sure Carol would welcome your company with open arms." Before either of them could speak up, Mrs. Loud suddenly arrived at the scene and was tapping at her wristwatch.

"No dawdling, honey" she said in a mildly firm tone, "I don't want you getting lost in this place...or worse." No sooner had she said this, Mrs. Loud caught sight of Beatrix and smiled slightly. "Oh...hello there, dear" she greeted warmly, "it's been so long, how are you and the family doing?" With her usual bright smile on her face, Beatrix returned Mrs. Loud's greeting and shook her hand.

"We're doing just fine, thank you for asking" she said politely, "Mummy and Daddy were both praying for your family's well-being for sometime." At first, Mrs. Loud was prepared to question why the Yates sought out to pray for them. But then, she quickly realized the comment was directed towards the public service she and the family had to perform over the summer.

With this in mind, Mrs. Loud thanked Beatrix for her kindness and asked her to extend the same thanks to her family. "Mom, while you're here; can I ask you something" Lincoln interjected, "would it be okay if she joins me and the gang on our campout?" Not long after this, Beatrix began to ask the same request; adding a small amount of the "puppy-dog eyes" for good measure.

"Well...this does seem a bit sudden" Mrs. Loud said matter-of-factly, "but I suppose it's okay, as long as Carol doesn't mind another camper joining in." Following up this statement, Mrs. Loud added that Beatrix should also see if her own parents would approve. "Why don't we ask them now" said the young lass in question, "they're right over by the produce aisle, just up ahead."

With confused/surprised looks upon their faces, both Louds looked behind them and immediately spotted Mr. and Mrs. Yates picking up some milk; just like Beatrix said. "Wow" murmured Lincoln while he scratched his head, "I can't believe we haven't spotted them until now."

(Line Break)

After a full week of school and/or housework, the weekend finally arrived and everyone was quite excited; especially our favorite friend group. Soon, a sleek minivan came rolling down the streets and if one would listen closely; they could hear the sounds of singing from the inside...and you'd be right. Within the van; every member of the Gal Pals (young and old, female _and _male) were happily singing along with the radio.

When everyone calmed down enough, they thanked Carol and her posse for putting this together this outing. "I still can't believe you were able to reserve the entire Bluebells Camp Grounds for us" Lincoln exclaimed with amazement, "for a minute, I was worried we'd be going down to Scratchy Bottom." The moment the name of the aforementioned camping grounds was spoken, everyone in the vehicle shivered in disgust.

"We've _all_ had some terrifying experiences there, Lincoln" Haiku murmured, "especially me." As she closed her eyes, the wee Goth's mind was flooded with images of being chased by giant mosquitoes. "Normally, the idea of blood-sucking creatures fascinates me" she muttered, "but when it comes to bugs the size of weasels chasing me...I'll _happily _make an exception!"

Soon after that, the other Gals spoke of their own bad experiences at Scratchy Bottom. Dana spoke of all the times she and Chaz said forest animals stole their food away, only for their parents to not believe them. Becky groaned at all the times _her _folks slathered her and Paige with layers of bug repellent.

Even Whitney had issues with Scratchy Bottom, which mostly involved all the insects that would find their way into her poofy hair. "I once used so much bug spray on my poof, I reeked of it for three weeks" she whined bitterly, "my folks had to wear clothespins, whenever I entered the room!" With this reveal, several Gal Pals crowded themselves slightly around Whitney; each showing her their sympathies.

"I feel your pain, Whit" Carol stated, "but as bad as smelling like bug spray seems, it's nothing compared to...uh, 'relieving yourself' in the woods." It didn't take long for everyone to realize what she meant and soon, each one of them shivered with displeasure. The moment they got the unpleasant image out of their heads; the group, once again, thanked/praised Carol for getting permission to use the Bluebell Campgrounds.

"You should thank my mother as well" she said with a proud grin, "as former Bluebell Scouts ourselves, we still had some connections with the group leaders." Lincoln eased himself back in his seat in utter amazement; understanding that it truly does pay to know the right people, if you need something. "One quick note, everyone" Carol announced suddenly, "our possible newest Gal Pals will be waiting for us at the entrance, when we arrive."

The group murmured loudly in understanding, some of whom (namely Carol's posse) were feeling eager to meet these newcomers. "Thanks for agreeing to let my new friends join us, Carol" Lincoln said appreciatively, "I know you're all going to like them too." Carol smiled at her friend/young ward and accepted his thank you with a kiss upon his forehead.

"Any friend of yours is _our_ friend too, Linc" Becky proclaimed, "but if they really wanna be part of the crew...they'll have to pass our initiation." Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly felt a chill run through him; as if something sinister may be in the works. "You guys aren't going to make them do anything...questionable, are you" he murmured curiously, "because I don't think their folks would like it."

Just as Carol was prepared to tell Lincoln not to worry, she soon caught sight of their destination; Camp Bluebell. At the same time, she also noticed a trio of police cruisers parked along the grass. This sight caused the four teenagers up front to quiver with worry, wondering if something gruesome happened there.

"Guys, you're okay...everything's fine" Jordan assured, "just look who's standing by the cars." While still feeling a touch nervous, Carol nervously looked towards one of the vehicles parked out on the grass. It was then she caught sight of someone waving to her.

As the van eased closer, everyone could clearly see Officer Simmons standing beside one of the cruisers. "What's she doing here" questioned Dana, "I thought we were meeting Linky's new friends at the grounds." Upon hearing her say this, Lincoln suddenly popped up from behind her seat and pointed towards the officers.

It was then that the foursome caught sight of a group of preteens standing beside Ms. Higgins' car. "Well I'll be...looks like Linc and the girls weren't fooling us after all" Becky chuckled, "the newbies _are_ related with our police pals." Almost immediately, Lincoln shook his head and gestured to another young lady among the group; who was being given her supplies by a...a rather peppy couple.

"_She_ is the exception to that rule, everyone" he stated, "her name is Beatrix Yates and her family lives right next door to my house." Mildly intrigued by this, the ladies asked to learn a bit more about this young lady. "Well...she, like the rest of her family, are extremely chipper" he said while mimicking Beatrix's trademark smile, "she's also really into helping people, practices for a lot of things, enjoys soccer and she's very tech savvy."

To say the least, the Gals were quite impressed by the Yates' girl's list of skills. But at the same time, they felt she seemed like a rather high class gal and wondered why she wished to hang out at a campsite. "It's true; like the rest of her family, B's schedule _is_ pretty filled up" Lincoln stated, "but my dad helped her parents understand that it's okay to have a little fun, sometimes."

After hearing this bit of information, the Gal Pals didn't know whether to pity Beatrix or feel defensive towards her; due to her credentials. "In any case, we're gonna make sure she has loads of fun with us" Carol proclaimed, "all those in favor, shout Gal Pals!" Without a second thought or a moment's pause, the other ladies proudly cried out "GAL PALS;" while Lincoln quickly added "and Guy Pals too!"

(Line Break)

Upon arriving at the campgrounds, Lincoln quickly introduced the Gals to his new friends; starting with those from his school. "We know some of you _chicas _from school already" Dolores stated, "but Lincoln...you never told us you were friends with college kids." This compliment caused Carol and her posse to giggle softly.

"We've only graduated High School just last year, silly" Dana said with a gentle laugh, "we're not college kids just yet." Beatrix let out a soft gasp at this reveal and playfully facepalmed herself. "To tell you the truth, ladies; I'm just as surprised as her" Omar stated, "I didn't know the lil' man hung out with older women."

This comment caused not only Lincoln to blush but Carol and her crew as well. "Calm down, ladies" Tonya giggled, "my lil' bro is just messin' with y'all." To say that the eldest Gal Pals were shocked by this comment would be a gross understatement.

"See...that look on your faces, that's how me and Clyde reacted when _we_ were told this" Lincoln chuckled, "but it's true, Omar is the younger sibling and Tonya is the elder one." When the foursome asked how such circumstances were possible, Big O simply smiled and said "I had a growth spurt." This "explanation" was enough to appease Carol's curiosity and before long, her posse began to shake hands with each of the newbies.

When the time came to greet Beatrix; she shook each of the Gals' hands so vigorously, they felt their arms might pop out of place. "I'm just so happy to meet you ladies" said the eldest Yates child with delight, "thank you so much for allowing me to join your outing." After they managed to recover from their collective dizzy spell, the Gal Pals turned towards Beatrix and smiled.

"Think nothing of it, girlfriend" Becky stated, "the more, the merrier; as they say." While the Gals took a moment to mingle with Beatrix, Lincoln approached the policewomen trio and waved at them. But as he drew closer, he caught sight of some new faces with them.

Standing beside Ms. Higgins was a young man dressed in what his sisters, Lori and Leni would call "hipster clothes." He wore a rather snazzy leather jacket, a pair of maroon jogger pants and dark blue all-weather boots. He had a thin-layered beard that stretched along his law-line, had two pairs of earrings on both ears, wore a pair thin-framed glasses and his black hair was done up into a sort of pompadour; which sort of reminded Lincoln of one _he_ had after visiting Margarita's salon in Great Lakes City.

Beside Ms. Campos was a man dressed in a blue hooded flannel jacket, blue jeans and light red sneakers with a black lightning bolt stitched in their sides. Then, as Lincoln looked over in Officer Simmons' direction; he found a woman standing beside her and a rather lovely one at that. She was dressed in a red leather biker's jumpsuit, sported a pair of fingerless leather gloves, had a head short and smooth blonde hair and her eyes sparkled like shimmering green emeralds.

"Wow...who are these guys" Lincoln whispered to himself, "I don't quite remember meeting _them_ before. At that moment, is train of thought came to a sudden halt; when he heard Officer Campos whistling for him. "Hey, _chamaco_; you just going to stand there all day" she said with a giggle, "come and say hello."

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln let out a joyful laugh and happily raced into the officer's arms. Not long after that, Higgins and Simmons joined in on the love-fest; which didn't go unnoticed by the people who were with them. "_Oye! _Gabriella, I'm standing right here" said the man in the flannel jacket, "you're lucky I'm not the jealous type."

As if sensing the teasing tone in the man's voice, Officer Campos rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Um...Officer, sorry to interrupt" Carol interjected shyly, "but aren't you going to introduce us to your...friend here?" Upon realizing the situation, the police trio collected themselves and introduced their associates to everyone.

"Of course, some of y'all may already know the youngins" Officer Higgins stated, "but we've yet to introduce you to our...other partners." The moment she ended off her sentence with a sly wink, both Lincoln _and_ the Gals came to the same conclusion; the new faces among them were the officers' spouses. The first to be introduced was Higgins' husband, Randolph (or Randy to his friends.)

"So, you're the infamous Lincoln Loud my Jenny keeps talkin' about" he said with an inquisitive tone, "now that you're here, I've been meaning to ask ya something." While this question wasn't spoken out of contempt, anger or bitterness; Lincoln still felt quite nervous. Still, he kept himself together and asked Mr. Higgins what he wished to know.

"What...is the deal with your hair" the man asked, "I mean, when my wife showed me a picture of you; I honestly thought she was showing me one of an old man from Sunset Canyons." After taking a moment to make sure he heard the man correctly, Lincoln's body quickly relaxed itself; as Mr. Higgins began to shake his hand.

"You'd be surprised by how many people think that; when they see me, Sir" he chuckled sheepishly, "but to answer your question...I honestly think I get it from my grandfather." Mr. Higgins chuckled softly at his statement and greeted Lincoln with a hearty handshake. This sight caused Ellie to let out a heaving sigh of relief.

The next to greet Lincoln was Dolores' father and Officer Campos' husband, Esteban. "Heard from my wife and daughter that you're a die-hard Ace Savvy, _chico_" he said suddenly, "so am I." No sooner had he said this, Esteban unzipped his jacket and revealed his t-shirt. On the front was an image of what looked like the cover of the first Golden Age Ace Savvy comic.

Lincoln was honestly rather surprised, to say the least. The only other adult he knew in life that loved Ace as much as him was his former principal, Wilbur Huggins. "_Papá_ is an old-school Ace fan, _amigo_" Dolores chuckled, "meaning that he's more of a fan of the classical era of Ace's adventures."

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln asked Esteban what he felt about the "newest additions" to the series; namely characters like the Full House Gang or the Chess Court. "When I first read about them, I thought that the identities of the Gang seemed...how you say, 'a little on the nose'" he replied, "but after seeing them in action, I _LOVE_ those girls; particularly the Queen of Diamonds." Feeling curious, Lincoln asked what he found appealing about Lola's character.

"Though she's just a child; in her own way, she is strong and sassy" Esteban chuckled, "just like _mi amore_, Gabriella." No sooner had he said this; Officer Campos hugged her husband from behind and kissed his cheek while proclaiming "and don't you forget it, _chulo._" When asked about the Chess Court, Esteban said it was a rather clever idea.

"When I was your age, I always thought the game was boring" he confessed, "but your story actually made it all interesting!" After having a good laugh at the comment, Lincoln and the Gals approached Officer Simmons' "partner;" who seemed to be eyeing Lincoln intently. "Y'all, I'd like you to meet my girl; Donna" Simmons gushed adorably, "she runs the bike repair shop downtown and is a bit of a wildcard."

After this introduction, there was a small period of silence between both groups. This was due to the fact that Lincoln could feel a burning aura of intimidation radiating off of Donna; something he only felt whenever he was around his sister, Lynn. Finally, Donna approached Lincoln and bent down onto one knee; so that the two would be at equal eye level.

Then, after what felt like ages of intense staring; the young biker smiled and shook Lincoln's hand. "Pleasure to finally meet ya, kid" Donna greeted, "Gail told me all sorts of things about you and your family." While still feeling slightly nervous, Lincoln smiled slightly and responded with the simple phrase "I hope they were all good...or passable."

This sight caused the Gal Pals to heave out a collective sigh of relief. Then, after Lincoln finished becoming acquainted; he called them over to meet everyone. "It's so nice to meet you ladies" Mr. Higgins said with a broad grin, "we thought it was great that Mr. Loud had some people looking out for him, back when all that...unpleasantness was going on."

Feeling flattered by the man's words, Carol confessed that she was happy to help. "Truth is, we've _all _been looking out for one another" she stated, "especially over Summer Break." Once everyone was acquainted, Officer Simmons began to do a quick check on the kids' supplies; just to make sure they were well-prepared.

"Mama...you double, triple even _quadruple_ checked over our supply stocks before we even left the house" Tonya said with a light giggle, "same with your partners!" Officer Campos puffed out her cheeks in a goofy pout and proclaimed that one "couldn't be too careful" when camping out. "I think everything's a-okay here, Ma'am" Whitney assured, "which is good...because after seeing your cars, I thought something bad happened here."

Upon hearing this, the three officers' faces lit up in an embarrassed blush and they shyly expressed their apologies. "I knew we should've taken our regular cars" Campos grumbled, "but just as we were about to drive over here, we got a call from the station." As expected, this bit of a bombshell shocked the group and Carol asked if anyone was hurt.

"Naw, sugar; it ain't nothin' like that" Higgins quickly assured, "just been called up to do tonight's town patrol." Despite the overall positive nature of this news, everyone still urged the Babes in Blue to be careful. "Don't you worry, ladies" Omar assured, "if anybody gives them trouble, they'll have the crooks on their rears quicker than y'all can say 'uncle.'"

The Gals and Lincoln chuckled softly, while also mentally pitying any crook who may be fool enough to cross the trio.

(Line Break)

After everyone said their goodbyes and the adults had departed, everyone made their way to the camping area to set up the tents. But because some of them being relatively new with camping, the process took a little while to properly grasp; particularly for Beatrix. "I don't know if I can do this, everybody" she murmured with uncertainty, "what if...what if I hit my fingers by accident while trying to drive in the spike?"

The moment she said this, Beatrix mentally berated herself; believing that making such an excuse would cause everyone to laugh at her. But instead, she heard several of the Gal Pals profess the same fears. "I once hit my thumb while trying to drive in a tent spike, back when me and my sister camped in our backyard" Paige murmured, "thankfully, nothing was broken."

Upon hearing this, Dana mentioned a time where Chaz had to set up a camp tent. But the support strings were straining so tightly that while they slept, the whole thing fell apart on them. "So, you see; we were _all_ new to camping at one time" Carol stated, "but we grew to love it, the more we tried."

After hearing these stories and these words of encouragement, Beatrix's confidence came back to her and she was ready to help out. With a little teamwork and a lot of focus, the campsite was all set and ready for use. Unfortunately, they've spent so much time setting up that it was already almost five in the afternoon.

"I knew we should've left home earlier" Phoebe murmured, "if we did, we wouldn't have been caught up in that traffic jam back on the highway." Some of the other Gals couldn't help but agree...save for their eldest members. "Don't worry, everybody" Becky assured, "this may have been a bit time-consuming but the timing couldn't be better."

Before anyone had a chance to speak up, Haiku smiled and pointed towards the horizon. "The sun is about to set" she murmured, "which means it's just about time to begin...the initiation." With this reveal, the Gals began to giggle loudly with anticipation. However, Lincoln felt that they might be getting too far ahead of themselves.

"I mean, we don't have the...other stuff ready yet" he stated, "how are we supposed to set everything up without rousing suspicion?" The moment he said this, several of the Gals placed their hands around Lincoln's mouth; which almost caused Beatrix and the others to become suspicious. "Keep your voice down, Linc" Jordan said in a hushed tone, "and don't worry...we've already got a plan."

Immediately after that, Carol gave a whistle towards their new arrivals and called them over. "Could you guys do us a small favor" she asked, "there's some stuff in my van we'll need for the campout, could you help Lincoln bring it over?" Without hesitation, they happily agreed to the task and followed Lincoln back to the parking lot.

When they left; everyone was carrying some snack bags, their sleeping bags, the bug spray bottles and of course, the picnic blanket. "I think that's everything, y'all" Omar surmised, "but I bet the Gals already have the rest of the stuff with 'em already." With that affirmation, everyone collected the supplies and headed back towards the campsite.

Upon their return, the group was met with a rather eerie surprise. Seated around the campfire were all of the Gal Pals, who appeared to have their faces covered under the hoods of their coats/sweatshirts. This gave them a sort Illuminati-like secret society look.

Lincoln was the only one not dressed in this manner, choosing only to be a sort of "mediator" for the group. "The newcomers have returned" Haiku murmured in a cryptic voice, "come forward." Nervous yet somewhat confused, the girls and Omar cautiously approached the circle and took their seats.

Afterwards, Carol approached them and removed her hood; revealing a rather stoic expression upon her face. "Gang...you're all probably wondering why we've invited you to join us" she inquired, earning a few nods from the teens; "well, this outing is about more than just roasting marshmallows and having fun." After this, the Gals gave Lincoln the floor; who did his best to appear "professional;" despite his body quivering with excitement.

"Guys, I know we've only hung out together for almost a month now" he stated, "but after getting to know you for some time, I thought that...maybe Carol would think you're 'cool enough' to join our friend group." Feeling curious, Tonya questioned the Gal in question why the choice fell upon _her_ shoulders specifically. "To make a long story short, I was appointed as Lincoln's head legal guardian" Carol replied, "plus...it also helps that I've got seniority here."

This statement caused Becky, Whitney and Dana to cross their arms in annoyance; all while proclaiming "we're his guardians too, girl!" "Anyway...if you all want to join, you're going to have to pass a little test" Carol stated, "sort of like a club initiation." This bit of news caused everyone to sweat a little, wondering what everyone had in mind for their "initiation."

"Don't worry, folks" Cici assured, "we're not about to make you all do anything...unsavory or questionable." Having heard this reveal, the five potential new crewmates heaved out a collective sigh of relief. "What we have in mind is something relatively simple" Becky stated, "to hang with us; you've gotta be reliable, loyal, strong (in terms of spirit) and above all, fun!"

After that, the Gals presented their challenge to the newcomers; tell a spooky story. "If your story is scary or entertaining enough to hold our interests, we will let you in" Carol informed, "but if they seem even the slightest bit boring, no dice." With all that said, it was now time to decide who would tell the first story.

Straightaway, Ellie was the first to step up; promising that she had "a real humdinger of a story to tell." This signaled for everyone else to sit back, get comfy...and to prep their marshmallows for either roasting or s'mores. "This is a lil' story my Pappy once told me" Ellie began, "it's about a man...known simply as Booker the Butcher."

The moment everyone heard the title, they also felt a slight chill run through their bodies; which meant that the story might be a good one. Then, Ellie took out her cellphone and brought up an image on a web search. It was one of an old log cabin, one that appeared to have been built during the time of the Old West.

"I think I heard of that place" Haiku interjected, "it is said that the cabin's basement was once filled with all sorts of dead bodies." From this brief synopsis alone, Beatrix suddenly began to outwardly shiver with fright. Meanwhile, inside her mind; she also started to wonder if she may have been in over her head by agreeing to the story test.

_"Keep it together, Beatrix" _she told herself mentally, _"after meeting the Louds, you promised to try and step out of your comfort zone from time to time..._this_ is one of those times!"_ After taking a moment to gather her courage, Beatrix was now ready to begin. Meanwhile, Whitney handed a flashlight over towards Ellie; so that she could shine the light upon herself for dramatic affect.

"Get ready, y'all" she said with a cautionary tone, "this story is so scary, you'll jump outta your britches." With that said, she threw another stick onto the fire and began her tale.

(The Tale of Booker the Butcher)

In the time of the Old West, in the farthest part of the New Mexico territories, nestled in the region known as Mercado Pass; there stands an old cabin. What is so special about this cabin, you may be wondering? Well...many years ago, a man named Booker lived there with his Indian (or Native American) wife and "halfwit" son.

For many years, they had seemed to keep to themselves; hardly ever leaving home or speaking with anyone. But one day, at the town saloon; the wife suddenly burst through the doors panting wildly. From the look of her, everyone saw that she was all bloody and crazed with fear.

When the patrons asked what happened to her, she said that her husband killed their son and tried to do away with her as well and _this _is why...

See, whenever folks were traveling by there; Booker would invite them in for supper. Then, as soon as they were seated at the table...HE'D MURDER THEM, with an ax and then threw their bodies in the cellar. This went on for some time; then one day, a Ute Indian came by with his spouse and...well, you may already know what happened by now.

When the next intended victim happened to ask "hey, you ever get any Indians around here lately?" Well, Booker's half-wit of a son then replied, "can't you smell the one Papa just put in the cellar?" Well...after that; Booker went berserk and in a fit of rage, killed the boy and the visitor before his wife made her escape.

(Back to Reality)

As the story neared its end, the ladies appeared to be shivering slightly; perhaps with fear. Omar meanwhile, did his best to put on a brave face. Finally, Lincoln was gripping at the grass so hard that his fingernails got coated in dirt.

As if sensing their anxiety, Ellie smiled and decided to bring in the "clincher." "After they heard her story, a posse rode up to the cabin right quick" she stated, "but when they arrived, Booker seemed to have vanished without a trace." At this point, no one knew whether to feel happy or scared.

"When they opened the doors of that cellar, the posse found more bones than you'd ever find in Boot Hill" Ellie whispered dramatically, "to all you city folk, that means cemetery." The younger members of the Gal Pals all nodded frantically in understanding and pleaded for Ellie to get to the end. The teen smiled for a brief moment, feeling proud that her story was getting others invested.

Then, she brought her phone back out and showed everyone the image of the cabin naughtily. "So, friends...if'n you ever travel down that pass; best stay clear of that old cabin" she urged warily, "Booker the Butcher may be laying for ya...along with all of the ghosts of all the poor souls he murdered." With her campfire tale at an end, Ellie turned off the flashlight and reclined herself back; waiting to hear everyone's feedback.

"Oh...wow" murmured Haiku breathlessly, "I've read many horror stories, since turning Goth...but _that,_ that one truly gave me chills!" There was a light murmur of agreement from the other Gals, all of whom showing varied expressions from the story's effect. "That was really good, missy" Whitney stated, "seems like we're off to a good start here."

Carol nodded in agreement while also noting that there were four other initiates left to test. "Next, let's give Tonya the floor...so to speak" she stated, "what sort of campfire tale do _you_ have for us?" After giving a gracious bow to the teen and the other Gal Pals, Tonya stood up and began to lightly clear her throat.

"Actually, Carol...if I may call ya that" she said politely, "considering the occasion, _my _story is more in the form of a song." Intrigued by this, the eldest Gals asked what sort of song she had in mind. "It's one of the songs from that radio play that premiered last October" Omar interjected, "remember 'The Ballad of Sara Berry?'"

There was a light murmur of mild understanding but it was apparent that only a select few of them have heard of the aforementioned "musical." "Regardless, I may need some help with the music and singin'" Tonya stated, "how many of y'all can sing...and do you guys know how to play an instrument?" As if on cue, Lincoln took out his phone and tapped his finger on the screen.

No sooner had he done this, what looked like a set of guitar strings appeared. After a few seconds, everyone immediately recognized this app. But at the same time, they wondered why _Lincoln_ had it on _his _phone.

"Heh-heh...every once in a while, Luna would let me jam out with her" the young Loud boy admitted, "but she encouraged me to use _this _instead of one of her guitars." When asked why make such a choice, Lincoln confessed that it was for his own safety. "My sister highly values her instruments" he stated, "if I wrecked any of them, even accidentally...she'd blast my ears out with speaker feedback."

After pushing that aside, Lincoln explained that the app was a good way for Luna to teach him how to play. "I'll try my hand at a _real_ guitar, someday" he said hopefully, "but for now...this is a good substitute." Satisfied with this explanation, Tonya turned towards any singers that were present.

Almost immediately, Dana, Dolores, Stella, Cristina, Jordan and even Haiku volunteered to lend a hand. Lastly, Omar offered up his own vocal skills for the story. To demonstrate, he bellowed out a series of soulful notes; which gave him the sound of a young Blues singer.

"Mmm-mm-mmm! Sing it loud and proud, Baby Bro" Tonya chuckled, "let's do this thing!" With that said, she signaled Lincoln to begin playing; which also signaled the group to begin _their _half of the performance.

(All)

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_  
_Down on your knees before the Queen._  
_Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_  
_Down on your knees before the Queen._

_(Lincoln plays the musical accompaniment, which causes everyone to rock in their "seats")_

(Tonya)

_Sara Berry was a popular bitch._

(The Gals)

_(Mm-hmm.)_

(Tonya)

_Hot bod, hot boy, cheer captain, plus she was rich._

(Omar)

_(Oh, yeah.)_

(Tonya)

_That girl had everything till hiccup and hitch:_  
_Julie Jenkins lost a leg in a wreck._

(All)

_(Am-pu-ta-ted)_

(Tonya)

_The nominations for Prom Royalty came_

(Haiku and Cici)

_(Uh-huh.)_

(Tonya)

_Our Sara's Senior Year, and Queen was her claim_

(Phoebe)

_(Uh, duh.)_

(Tonya)

_Till gossip stirred the student body would name_  
_Julie Jenkins, Queen of the Prom._

(Haiku and Paige)

_(Pi-ty vote)_

(Tonya)

_"Sara," her father said, "Life is a Prom._  
_I know you won't disappoint me and Mom..."_

(Tonya + Omar)

_You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown._  
_You thirst for blood from the roses in hand._  
_You spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance,_  
_As they crown you Queen of High School Land._

(Dolores)

_Check Sara,_

_Choose Sara_

_Vote for Sara Berry_

(Kat + Cici + Stella)

_Check Sara_

_Choose Sara_

_Vote for Sara Berry_

(Tonya)

_So obsessed, our Sara near lost her mind._  
_To life un-Prom-related, Sara was blind;_  
_She shoved her squad, her clique and boyfriend behind—_  
_Still Julie had a hold on the lead._

(Omar)

_(Poor, poor Julie)_

(Tonya)

_Oh, Sara's sanity was hung by a thread,_  
_Her B.F.F.'s proclaimed her socially dead,_  
_Till then, at last, her boyfriend texted and said:_  
_"I'm taking Julie to the senior Prom."_

(Dolores, Jordan and Cristina_)_

_(Love, love Julie)_

(Tonya)

_"Sara," her father said, "Why be so calm?_  
_There's just no future for a Princess at Prom..."_

(Tonya + Omar + Carol's crew)

_You taste the silver, Sara! You taste the crown._  
_You thirst for blood from the roses in hand._  
_You spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance,_  
_As they crown you Queen of High School Land._

(All)

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_  
_Down on your knees before the Queen._  
_Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_  
_Down on your knees before the Queen._

(Tonya)

_Some girls are rational but Sara was not_  
_She stared in mirrors thinking one single thought:_  
_There's seven reasons this crown's not good as got—_  
_And so the night of Prom, mercy! Thus went her plot:_

_Phoebe: "P" is for Patricia, drinking poisoned punch._  
_Dolores: "R" is for Raquel, dashed on a rock (crunch)_  
_Whitney: "O" is what Anne said when Sara bludgeoned her brains_  
_Omar: And "M" is Marianna's marinated remains._

_All: But! But!_

_Dana: "Q" is for Quiara, quiet, drowned in the pool._  
_Haiku: and "U" is for Eunice's pieces spread 'round the school_  
_Lincoln: But "E's" are for the easy way in five minutes tops_  
_Kat: A one-legg'd girl can bring an "N" for end by calling the cops._

_Carol's crew: What a jerk_

(Tonya)

_You've got your silver Sara, you got your crown_  
_You got their blood on your roses in hand_  
_You donned the sash and scepter, doing a dance,_  
_As you crowned you Queen of High School Land!_

_Omar: Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_

_Tonya: God save the Queen..._

_Omar: Down on your knees before the Queen._

_Tonya: God save the Queen._

_Omar: Woah-oh-oh-oh, Oh, Oh!_

_Tonya: The Queen of High School Land._

_Omar: Down on your knees before the Queen._

_Tonya: HAIL the Queen of High School Land!_

(At this point of the song, everyone suddenly decides to join in)

_They wrapped your wrists in silver, they took your crown_  
_They washed the blood from your fingers and hands._  
_Into a tight straitjacket, small padded cell,_  
_Screaming, "I'm Queen of High School Land!"_

(Tonya)

_At least in your head, you're Queen of High School Land_  
_Oh, Pity the dead! You're Queen of High School Land._

(Tonya + Omar)

_(Check Sara, Choose Sara, Vote for Sara Berry.)_  
_(Check Sara, Choose Sara, Vote for Sara Berry.)_

After the end of the final verse, everyone suddenly burst out into a loud series of applause. "Holy Cannoli, that was awesome" Carol cried breathlessly, "not only was it a great story but I loved that it was a song we could _all_ join in on!" There was a loud cacophony of agreement from the rest of the group, which made Tonya and Omar feel quite proud.

The next to tell a story was Dolores, who decided to tell everyone about a creature she called the Cucuy, which she explained was a sort of Spanish version of the Boogeyman. While most of the group had long gotten over their fear of such a being, something about Dolores' story still shook them a little. "Another great story, newbies" Becky complimented, "now...only one remains."

Soon, all eyes fell onto Beatrix; who appeared to be shivering in her seat slightly. Some speculated that she still had the jitters from the earlier stories. But Lincoln speculated that she might actually have been nervous about doing _her_ test.

After giving Beatrix a soft whistle, she watched as Lincoln started performing a series of silent breathing gestures. This led her to believe that he wanted her to try some calming breaths. For about a minute or two, Beatrix did just that and she could feel the tension within her slowly giving way with every exhale.

When she stopped, she faced the group and asked for someone to hand her the flashlight. "I have a scary tale of my own" she stated, "one that I believe may hit close to home for some of you." This suggestion appeared to please the Gal Pals, who soon started to inch themselves closer to her.

"Alright, here it goes" Beatrix sighed, "one night, Lil' Jimmy Simpkins logged onto his computer; only to find a discontinued server icon." This part of the "story" _did_ create some reactions from everyone...just not looks of terror. In truth, they appeared confused more than anything.

In spite of all this, however; Beatrix still kept telling her story with great fervor. "And after working tirelessly upon it for hours, what he saw next filled him with shock and pure terror" she said dramatically, "for his hard drive had been...completely erased." After finishing, all appeared silent; save for the crickets that were chirruping in the grass (no joke.)

Upon seeing the unimpressed looks on everyone's faces, afterwards; Lincoln grew worried. "This is no good" Lincoln murmured to the viewer in a panicked tone, "the only people I know who'd be scared of _that_ story are Rusty and my sister, Lisa." As the young Loud boy looked over in his friends' direction, he saw Carol approach Beatrix and tell her that the story was an official dud.

"That being said...I'm a fair person" she said reassuringly, "I'll give you another chance to tell us a _really_ horrifying tale." No sooner had she said this, the other Gals interjected and proclaimed it had to be the kind of story that would make your blood run cold. "If that's what you wish, I suppose I have...something of that variety in mind" Beatrix murmured in an uncertain tone, "it's a story that my grandmother once told us after her trip to Liverpool."

After saying this, she took a seat on a log and turned on the flashlight; giving her face a haunting look. "Be prepared, everyone" she stated, "as I tell you the tale of...The Headless Coachman!" Intrigued by the title, everyone gathered around closely; not wishing to miss a single word.

"Once upon the time in London Town during the reign of Queen Victoria, there was a coach driver" Beatrix began, "he was a dutiful fellow, offering his services to anyone in need of a lift." She soon spoke of how this fellow rode townsfolk of all kinds hither and yon about town, which seemed to please everyone. "Then, on a misty autumn night, a voice called out to him" Beatrix said suddenly, "it said 'please, driver; won't you help me?'"

(the story world)

As the coachman prepares to end another day's work, he suddenly hears a voice call out to him. "Please, driver; hold there for a moment" it cried, "I need your help." The coachman turns around to find a young woman approaching, who had a look of dread about her.

Ever the dutiful fellow, the coachman tipped his hat and asked how he could help her. "I would...just like a little ride about town, if you please" the woman murmured sadly, "I've lost my pet cocker spaniel somewhere in town earlier and...I've yet to find her." The coachman frowned slightly with despair, when he saw tears trickling down the woman's cheeks.

Without pause, he reached into his coat pocket and offered her a handkerchief to help dry her eyes. "Thank you ever so much, Sir" sniffled the woman, "I...I so desperately need to clear my head, would you be kind enough to grant me a ride?" Once more, the coachman offered her his service without a single moment's pause.

Once the woman was aboard his carriage, the coachman cracked the reins slightly and the horse went off on his way. However, the fog soon began to grow a little thicker and the atmosphere was becoming rather cold; which caused the coachman to shiver slightly. "Take this, Sir" the woman insisted softly, offering up her scarf to him; "I do not want you catching cold on _my_ account."

Touched by this gesture, the coachman accepted the woman's gift and wrapped the scarf neatly around his neck. Overtime, they had ridden through much of the town and the coachman was moments away from ending the ride. But the woman asked if they could keep going for just a little longer.

"Before meeting you, I've asked others if they've seen my precious doggie wandering about" she stated, "that was when a paperboy said he spotted one somewhere near the woods...might we go see?" The coachman hesitated a little; under normal circumstances, he'd only ridden his carriage around the streets. No one ever asked him to go near or even through the woods before.

But then, as he looked back at the woman; he couldn't help but empathize with her. No one should ever be separated from their precious pet. Thus, in the end; he agreed to the woman's wishes and drove his carriage into the woods.

But as they rode down the path, the coachman noticed how much darker everything looked than how it did in town. "My apologies, Mum" he murmured uneasily, "but...I fear it is getting far too dark and foggy to find anything; perhaps, we should..." Before he could finish his sentence, both the coachman and the woman suddenly heard the echoes of a dog barking.

"That's her" she cried, "that's my precious doggie, I can hear her in the woods!" Before the coachman could speak up, the woman urged him to ride down a dirt path that went through the forest. "Please, we must move quickly" she begged, "my precious could be in danger."

Once more, the coachman wished to object to her request...but soon hesitated when he heard the desperation in her voice. Against every logical instinct he had, the coachman relented and urged his horse to move on down the forest path. But as they rode, he did his best not to move too quickly; for it was getting darker and foggier the deeper they went into the woods.

But the sound of the dog's barking grew louder and louder by the minute, which caused the woman to become frantic. She soon shouted out to him "faster, do you hear; faster!" The coachman did as he was told and rode his carriage faster down the path.

"We're coming, sweetie" the woman called out hopefully to her dog, "just hold on for a little longer!" As they rode further down the path; soon, the trees began to block out the moonlight above them. This coupled with the thick fog and the bitter cold made things even more difficult for the coachman.

But regardless, he still kept riding harder down the way; the sounds of the carriage wheels striking the stones beneath them echoed loudly in the night. The whole time they rode on; the dog kept barking and the woman kept shouting "faster, do you hear; ride faster!" Finally, though the fog; woman saw something running on the grass.

It was a small cocker spaniel and it appeared to have a red bandana wrapped around its neck, which seemed to match the color of the coachman's scarf. "There she is; follow her, please" the woman cried, "we're coming, sweetie!" Despite his horse's refusal, the coachman tugged on the reins hard; causing the whole carriage to veer onto the grass.

The carriage drove faster and faster through the wood, doing his best to keep the spaniel in his sights. As he followed her, the coachman could see a light glowing faintly in the distance. It was a gaslight, which meant that they were getting close to the town again.

But then, the woman suddenly looked on in horror and cried "LOOK OUT!" With a frightful yelp, the coachman looked ahead and saw a highwayman waving his shiv madly in the air. "Get off the carriage and give me your money, you blighter" the man shouted, "do it now or I'll bleed you like a stuck pig!"

Startled by this; the horse bellowed out a frightened whinny and darted away from the man as fast as it could back into the forest; just barely missing the blade. However, in its haste; the horse suddenly pulled everyone down a steep hill. The coachman, growing more terrified by the minute, desperately tried his best to slow down the carriage.

But the horse was moving so fast; if he pulled the reins any harder, they might snap. At the same time, the coachman looked behind him and could see the woman slowly becoming viciously hysterical. "Follow the barking...now" the woman demanded with a crazed look in her eyes, "she's just down the hill, go down there; HURRY!"

Each time the coachman tried to object, the woman slammed her fists violently against his back. Faster and faster the carriage went down the hill, the dog's barking now sounding louder and closer than before. "WE'RE ALMOST THERE" shrieked the woman, "MOVE FASTER, DO YOU HEAR...FASTER!"

As the carriage rode on, the scarf around the coachman's neck started blowing on the wind. During the pursuit, no one saw one of the trees' long branches hanging overhead; until the coachman's scarf suddenly caught onto it. Within seconds, the opposite end of the scarf wound itself tightly around the branch.

This led to the base end of the scarf coiling itself tightly around the coachman's neck until...SNAP! Once free, the horse continued to rush madly down the forest path. But as it took a glance behind him, the horse's eyes widened in horror.

Just behind the carriage, lying on the dirt path were three items; a hat, the red scarf...and a human head. Now, his reins were no longer held by the driver he knew. Instead, the carriage was being driven by...the Headless Coachman.

With a terrified whinny, the horse hurried off deep back into the woods. As the carriage disappeared into the night, the woman's mad cackling could be heard echoing loudly through the air.

(Back to Reality)

As Beatrix neared the end of her story; everyone appeared on the edge of their seats, quivering with fear. "Now, hundreds of years after that dreadful night; this tale has been passed down from generation to generation" the eldest Yates girl stated, "some believe that the spirit of the coachman still wanders the world of the living, to this very day." After taking in a nervous gulp...as well as dabbing away some of his nervous underarm sweat, Lincoln asked to learn more.

"There are several signs that signal the approach of the Coachman" Beatrix informed, "first, a thick fog will suddenly roll over the land." Upon hearing this example, everyone heaved a collective sigh; thankful that the skies were clear...for the moment. Then, as she listed the second example; Beatrix mentioned the sounds of a "demon cocker spaniel" barking in the night.

"Next, you might hear the sounds of the carriage wheels running along the road" she informed, "then...it won't be long until you'll hear the fiendish cackling of the mad woman." Upon hearing this example, Carol and her crew suddenly huddled together for safety. This was the signal Beatrix needed to deliver the final lines of her tale.

"Should any of these circumstances arise; the next thing you'll see, riding out of the foggy mist will be the haunted carriage" she whispered creepily, "being driven by..._THE HEADLESS COACHMAN!_" To really close things off, Beatrix ducked her head into her coat; making herself appear headless. While this wasn't frightening in itself, the shadow she created in the fire's glow caused everyone to cry out in alarm.

Once the story was finished, everything felt as still and as quiet as the grave; which made Beatrix feel rather...self-conscious. "Oops...I'm sorry, everyone" she murmured with a light blush, "did my story really scare you _that _much?" After a few more seconds of silence, the group suddenly burst into a wild applause.

"Wow, just...wow" Dana gasped, "I haven't felt _that_ scared since the time I lost my phone in the gym locker room." Taking this as a compliment, Beatrix bowed her head slightly and expressed her thanks. Not long after that, everyone else expressed their own feelings on the story.

"That has to be...one of _the most_ frightful tales I've ever heard" Haiku murmured with a smile, "and I've read _and _heard a lot of them." This comment, though slightly morbid, caused Beatrix to blush slightly with humbleness. "Looks like we could expect some new members, everybody" Carol announced, "but we'll worry about technical matters later; now, it's time for some food!"

Not needing to be told twice, everyone hurried over to the coolers and brought out as much of the food they brought that they felt hungry for. Of course; the first things to be opened were the crackers, marshmallows and chocolate. "Who's up for some s'mores" Lincoln announced, "all in favor, say aye!"

Mere seconds after he said this, everyone happily sounded off in agreement with an enthusiastic "AYE!" Surprisingly, even Beatrix felt eager to have a s'more; even though her father often prohibited her from having sugary foods. "Don't worry; I've got ya covered on that, Bea" Lincoln assured, "I've got regular _and_ sugar free chocolate bars here."

This bit of news caused Beatrix to squeal with delight, before she glomped Lincoln in a near bone-crushing embrace. "You are just the best, Lincoln" she gushed adorably, "I'm so lucky to have you as a friend." Meanwhile, the eldest Gal Pals found themselves pouting like a group of angry toddlers; as they watched Beatrix embrace their friend.

"That's not fair" Dana grumbled while puffing out her cheeks, "I thought only _we_ hugged Linky like that." Carol rolled her eyes at her friend and said that there was no such rule made. "Don't get me wrong...I'm a little jealous too" she murmured, "but Lincoln was _her_ friend before us and thus, she's entitled to that kind of PDA."

While the girls all agreed that Carol spoke the truth, it still didn't make them feel any less jealous.

(Line Break)

As time passed; some games were played, some treats were shared/eaten and there was much laughter heard on the grounds. But alas, it was getting rather late; which meant it was about time to get ready for bed. Thus, everyone began their outdoor bedtime preparations; starting with getting into their pajamas.

"Follow me to the main square, everyone" Carol ordered, "that's where the restrooms are." Beatrix suddenly let out a soft shiver but made sure no one else noticed it. While she _was_ thankful that there was a one within range of them, she heard quite a few "stories" about campground restrooms; most of which were_ not_ pleasant.

"It'll be okay, Beatrix" Lincoln assured, "just...make sure to have a few wet wipes or hand sanitizer on hand." The eldest Yates child nodded in understanding, thanked Lincoln for his suggestion and followed the other girls to the Ladies Room; while Lincoln went in the Men's Room with Omar. While inside, everyone began to change into their evening clothes.

As Cristina began combing her hair in the mirror; from the reflection, she saw the night sky be slightly overwhelmed by a sudden fog. "Um...girls" she murmured uneasily, "did the weather channel say anything about cloudy or foggy skies tonight?" Confused, Stella turned towards the window and could definitely see some misty fog clouds rolling in.

"It's probably nothing" she stated, "it'll blow over, before we know it and the skies will be clear again." After that, Stella finished changing and walked back out to the campground. Meanwhile, Stella appeared frozen in place; her knees quaking slightly with anxiety.

_"This fog is just like the kind from my story"_ she thought to herself worriedly, _"either that...or it's just purely a coincidence."_ After taking in a few calming breaths, Beatrix brushed her teeth and was ready to curl up into her sleeping bag for a long rest. But as she climbed into her tent, the fog was beginning to look slightly thicker than before.

"It's just a coincidence, Beatrix" she whispered, "pure and simple." With that thought in mind, she zipped herself into her bag and was moments away from wishing everyone pleasant dreams. But when she got a look at everyone, she raised an eyebrow.

Phoebe had her phone light on in the tent, Paige's eyes darted around like she was being watched and Haiku (ironically) clutched at her pillow like an emotional support animal. At the same time, the eldest members appeared just as skittish. As for the boys, Lincoln curled himself up tightly beneath his sleeping bag, while Omar could be heard muttering "there ain't nothin' to fear but fear itself" repeatedly under his breath.

"Gee whiz...I didn't realize my story would have _this_ kind of affect on everyone" she murmured, "then again, we've been telling spooky stories most of the night." With that in mind, Beatrix eased herself into her bag and began to slowly drift off to sleep. For sometime, all appeared quiet and peaceful; save for the sounds of everyone snoring softly.

(Line Break)

Hours passed since everyone went off to sleep and still, the fog lingered slightly around the campgrounds. Then; Kat suddenly sensed that "nature was calling," carefully got out of her tent and made her way towards the bathrooms. But due to the combination of the fog and the darkness, walking there proved a little difficult.

Thankfully, she had her cellphone on hand and was able to use its light to help see ahead of her. In time, Kat reached the Ladies Room door and immediately rushed inside; desperate to...relieve herself. When she was finished, a few moments later; Kat appeared quite relaxed.

"That takes care of that" she sighed while drying off her hands, "now, to head back to camp for some shut..." At that moment, her train of thought was suddenly halted by a strange sound from somewhere close by. It was faint, at the moment but it almost sounded like...a dog barking.

At first, Kat started to feel incredibly nervous; fearing that Beatrix's story may be coming true. "I mean...first the fog and now, I'm hearing a dog barking" she murmured uneasily, "either this is all purely coincidental or somebody's pulling a prank on us." The moment the latter thought came into her head, Kat's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Maybe somebody talked Carol into setting up these happenings to test the newcomers' nerves" she stated firmly, "if that's the case...she's got some nerve doing this and not informing the rest of us about it." With this in mind, Kat made her way back to camp; eager to get some answers from Carol. But when she arrived, she was met with a rather startling surprise.

Every member of the Gal Pals was wide awake, curled up slightly into fetal positions and shivering with fear. "I'm guessing you guys heard the noises too, huh" Kat asked as she approached everyone, "I mean...this has all got to be some sort of prank someone's pulling to spook the newbies." No sooner had she said this, several eyes fell upon Carol; whose face looked as white as a ghost.

"What...you think _I'm _responsible for this" she inquired indignantly, "certainly not and I can tell you no one else here is doing so either!" As if on cue, the other Gals quickly sounded off their denial in what's been going on. Even Lincoln openly protested his innocence; proclaiming that if this _was_ all a prank, it would be Luan's doing and not his.

"Now...calm down, gang" Jordan urged kindly, "this is all just an odd series of coincidences, no one here is in any danger." For a moment, everyone felt inclined to agree with her; despite the fear swirling around inside of each of them. But then; just when things couldn't get any freakier, everyone suddenly heard _two_ sounds echoing from somewhere close by.

The first was the sounds of the dog barking that Kat heard earlier. This time, however; it all sounded much clearer and closer than when she last heard it near the restroom. The next was the soft clopping of horse hooves and the rattle of carriage wheels knocking against pavement.

"It's all just a coincidence...just like everyone said" Lincoln whispered to himself fearfully, "I mean, we haven't heard any kind of weird cackling yet...that's a plus!" For what felt like ages, he continued to mentally rouse himself into being brave. But the fog and the odd noises were quickly wearing on his nerves.

At the same time, the others felt just as on edge as Lincoln was. Then, as if by some cruel joke from Fate; the night skies suddenly echoed with the sounds of mad laughter. With that, the Gals and Lincoln suddenly burst into a cacophony of panicked screams.

Meanwhile, the girls and Omar were doing their darndest to get everyone to calm down. Ever the helpful one, Beatrix was especially eager to get everyone to calm down...but to no avail. "Please, everyone; if you will just listen to me" she urged softly, "I know things seem dire now...but if we stick together, we will be okay."

Again and again, the eldest of the Yates children tried to get everyone to hear her. But everyone was screaming so loudly, her voice sounded like a whisper among that of the others. "Hold back for a minute, girl" Tonya said while gently pushing Beatrix back, "let me try somethin' here."

After stepping forward, she watched on as everyone continued running like frightened chickens. Then, she stuck two fingers into her mouth; which gave Omar the signal to immediately plug up his ears. "Y'all better brace yourselves" he said warily, "things are gonna get loud up in here."

Not needing to be told twice, the remaining three girls covered their hands over ears and waited for what's to come. Then, at that moment; Tonya unleashed a whistle that was so loud and shrill that it caused the entire Gal Pals crew to stop dead in their tracks. "Huh...how about that" she chuckled, "Mama was right, that works on police dogs _and_ people."

After everyone's ears stopped ringing, the Gals and Lincoln glared bitterly in Tonya's direction. "Sorry she had to do that to you, everybody" Omar said apologetically, "but now is not the time to be goin' crazy with fear!" After being given the floor, Beatrix proclaimed that they all needed to be strong.

"How are we supposed to do _that_" questioned Lincoln, "how are _we_ supposed to hold our own against a ghost?!" Some of the Gals felt just as doubtful as he did, believing that going up against such a foe was crazy. Utterly dumbfounded by these words; Beatrix, once more tried to rouse everyone into standing with her.

"Before tonight, Lincoln has told me a few of the things you've accomplished together" she said firmly, "you've bested a criminal at a Ren Faire, Lincoln rescued Cristina from drowning...a few of you even fought against two of Lincoln's toughest sisters and _survived!_" As they listened to each example, Lincoln and the Gals couldn't help but smile softly with a smidgen of pride.

"Bea's right, y'all" Ellie interjected with gusto, "if you can do all _that,_ would battling against a supposed ghost be so hard?" While still feeling a touch afraid, something about their friends' words of encouragement helped spark a strong fire in their collective bellies. "I don't know about the rest of you" Dolores stated, "but I'm not letting this _bruto fantasmal_ take us to...who knows where without a fight, are you all with me?!"

Without a moment's hesitation; the Gals, Lincoln and Omar sounded off in proud agreement while pumping their fists into the air. At that moment; the skies once again, suddenly echoed with the sounds of mad laughter and horse whinnies. However, they seemed much louder and closer than the last time.

Thinking quickly, Jordan reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of binoculars. She then started scanning the area ahead for any sign of what was causing the noises. Despite the ever present fog; she was, eventually able to spot the silhouette of a carriage near the Camp Bluebell entrance.

She could also see the shadowy form of the driver, who appeared to be dressed in a heavy coat...but couldn't find any sign of their face/head. "I think I see him up ahead" Jordan whispered, "so...anybody got a plan on what to do, if/when we take him down?" For a moment or two, everyone scratched their chins in thought until Omar was suddenly struck by inspiration.

"I've got my mama on speed dial in my emergency contacts" he stated, "after we rush him and get him off that carriage, I'll ring her up." Everyone applauded Omar on his idea but hoped they would be able to hold their own long enough until the officers get there.

Just then, the carriage driver turned in their direction and due to the fog; everyone only saw a glimpse of his wide-rimmed collar. This led the Guys and Gals to believe that this truly was the Headless Coachman. But in spite of this, they still held their ground and glared at him with an intense fire in their eyes.

"Okay, gang...let's end this" Carol said firmly, "SURROUND HIM AND TAKE NO PRISONERS!" With this signal, everyone rushed towards the coach while letting out a series of fierce battle cries. This caused the horse to let out a startled whinny, which led to it trying desperately to run away from the approaching attackers.

But the coachman managed to hold his grip firmly on the reins, no matter how many times the nag bounced and jerked around. In time, the Gals surrounded the carriage; making certain not to leave any openings for the coachman to run away. "You don't scare us, you stupid ghost" Phoebe shouted, "if you want us, come try and take us...if you can!"

After that, everyone locked hands with one another, forming a chain circle around the carriage. Then, slowly but surely; they started moving towards their captive, causing their circle to become smaller and smaller with every step. Startled by all this, the horse suddenly reared back; which caused its reins to snap.

This sudden movement caused the coachman to fly off his seat and fall hard onto the ground. "Now's our chance" Dana exclaimed, "someone, grab hold of this creep and make sure he doesn't get away!" As Ellie, Tonya and Dolores rushed the coachman; Omar immediately brought up his phone's contact list and rung up his mother.

As he waited for an answer, the girls were already making short work of their opponent. Meanwhile, the Gal Pals and Lincoln did their best to keep the carriage still. "Did...Did we win" Lincoln murmured with an uncertain tone, "I think we actually beat the Headless Coachman."

After taking note on what had just happened, everyone suddenly started giggling softly. Within seconds, this giggle fit slowly built itself up to a few chuckles. Then, in the end; everyone started cheering and laughing madly with victory.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT, EVERYBODY" Beatrix said with glee, "we've defeated the ghost and no one got hurt or taken away!" Just as everyone was starting to become proud of themselves, a gruff voice sounded off bitterly with a few simple words; "I AIN'T NO GHOST, YA CRAZY BRATS!" The moment this statement was made, everyone's cheering immediately ceased and all eyes fell down upon their captive.

At the same time, the fog was starting to slowly fade away; which allowed the moonlight to finally shine over the camp. When it did, everyone got a good look at the alleged "Headless Coachman." Much to everyone's surprise, they no longer saw a headless carriage driver.

Instead, they were met with the face of Flip; owner and proprietor of Flip's Food n' Fuel. "What the...Flip, what the heck are _you_ doing here" Lincoln asked in an outraged tone, "where did you get this carriage and...why are you wearing a cloak?" After finally being brought back on his feet, Flip told everyone that he bought the cloak from a costume shop back in town.

"I saw it an thought 'that looks pretty snazzy, bet I can get a lotta attention wearin' it'" he said smugly, "plus, it was cheap; only five bucks!" After taking a moment to mentally shame Flip on his cheapskate nature, everyone noticed that the collar of his cloak appeared to be taller than Flip's head. While standing in the moonlight, this made his shadow look as though he was headless.

With _this_ mystery solved, everybody soon started to crowd around Flip; all of whom seemed to have quite a few questions for him. To start with, when did he start riding a horse-drawn carriage and where did he get it? But before Flip had the chance to speak up, the sounds of police sirens approaching suddenly rang out.

That was when everyone spotted a trio of police cruisers easing towards them, which meant only one thing; the Babes in Blue have arrived. "Hold it right there, Flip" shouted Officer Simmons as she exited her vehicle, "you're under arrest for stealin' public property!" Upon hearing the word "stealing," all eyes turned towards Flip; who appeared to be sweating like a pig.

"I...I-I wasn't really stealin', Officer" he mumbled, "see...my car broke down on my way home from work and I needed to find transportation right quick and..." After taking a moment to make sure she heard him correctly, Haiku asked Flip why he didn't choose to take the bus instead. "Listen, creepy girl; do ya know how much it costs to travel to and from my store by bus" he inquired, "TWENTY-FIVE BIG ONES...that there is too rich for _my _blood!"

Once again, everyone felt baffled by how cheaply Flip was behaving. But they were even more ashamed by the fact that he stole a carriage. "I didn't steal nothin', ladies" the man grumbled stubbornly, "while I was walkin' home, I saw it standin' out in the middle of the park and thought it could help get me back home."

As Officer Campos shook her head in annoyance, she brought out a notebook and began to read what was written on it. "According to the carriage's _actual_ owner, it suddenly went missing while she went off to pick up a hotdog from a nearby cart" she stated, "that, in layman's terms...counts as _stealing!_" No sooner had this been revealed, the gang brought up how much they were being terrorized during their campout.

Unfortunately, due to them speaking all at once; none of the officers could understand them. "Just calm down a little, youngins" Higgins urged kindly, "speak more clearly, this time." As if on cue, Beatrix stepped forward and told the officers everything.

She told them about the campfire stories they were telling each other (including hers,) about the sudden fog, the eerie laughter and the strange dog barking from out of nowhere. "Oh, yeah...about that" Flip interjected, "I, uh...I was watchin' puppy videos while I was ridin' along on the carriage." To prove he was telling the truth, he took out his phone and brought up one of the videos in question; which happened to feature a cocker spaniel puppy.

"Okay, that takes care of _that_ mystery" Becky murmured, "but then, we started hearing some kind of mad cackling in the air!" Upon taking note of _this_ bit of evidence, the officers became quite concerned. Meanwhile, Flip found himself becoming "bored" of everything and decided to go back to watching the videos he mentioned earlier.

As he stood there, watching the cocker spaniel pup roll about playfully; he suddenly burst out into a mad fit of laughter. Once the kids all heard it, realization struck them like a blow to their heads. "It wasn't any ghost that was causing the laughter" Lincoln murmured shamefully, "it was just Flip."

With all this in mind, everyone came to the same conclusion; that everything they were worried about was all just in their heads. "Well, Sir; looks like everything's a-okay here" Flip said with a smug tone, "so, I'll just take my ticket and be back on my way home." With that said, he held out his palm towards the officers; expecting one of them to place a citation ticket into his hand.

But much to his surprise; he felt the sudden snap of a handcuff wrap around his wrist, instead. "For what you did, Flip; you're lookin' at a month's worth of Community Service...or even a stay in a holding cell" Higgins said firmly, "not just for stealin' this here carriage...but for also disturbin' these kids and for all those health code violations from last weekend!" Upon hearing mention of the third possible offense, Flip defended himself by claiming that "the donuts I had out were only two weeks past their expiration date!"

Unfortunately for him, this did little to stop the officers from bringing him into one of their cruisers. Once Flip was in custody, Simmons approached her children and happily embraced them; appearing thankful that they were safe. "I'm happy you're all safe, everybody" she said with a relieved tone, "the girls and I were in the midst of looking for the missing carriage when I suddenly got your call."

Campos nodded in agreement with her partner and proclaimed the kids were lucky they arrived when they did. "Thanks for responding, ladies" Carol said gratefully, "without your children's clever thinking and assistance, I don't know what might've happened to us." This comment caused the girls and Omar to blush a deep shade of red.

"Y'all want us to bring you back home" Officer Higgins offered, "I reckon that after all that's happened, this campin' trip of yours must be a total bust." Without a moment's pause, the Gal Pals shook their heads in unison and proclaimed everything was perfectly fine now. "I mean, sure...we did have a few scares here and there" Whitney admitted, "but we stuck together and held our own...even when things started to get _really_ creepy!"

The others all sounded off in agreement, while also extending praises towards the newcomers. "I say everything went almost exactly as planned" Carol stated, "which means there's only one more thing left to do."

(Line Break)

The following morning, after everyone had a proper good night's rest; they gathered together at Lynn's Table for a post-initiation "meeting." There, Lincoln watched as Carol and her crew approached the five newcomers. To help provide "proper ambience;" Lincoln asked his sister, Luna to beat on a large drum.

At first; the beats came rather slow, even and gave a rather ominous feeling in the room. Then, Luna smiled playfully while beating more rapidly on the drum; creating a rather lively musical beat in the process. The beats were so strong, everyone started quivering from the vibrations.

After a while, Luna decided to stop and all became serious again. But then, she decided to give one more playful slam upon the drum first. It was only when she saw everyone's annoyed expressions that Luna finally stopped messing around

"On behalf of our group; I happily extend the hand of friendship to Eloise Higgins, Tonya and Omar Simmons, Dolores Campos and Beatrix Yates" Becky decreed while shaking each of their hands, "we, the Gal Pals humbly welcome you all as our newest friends, confidants, chums...besties...uh, _compadres..._" As they listened to her continue on with her list, many of the Gals slowly grew quite impatient with Becky. "Hey, don't blame me here" she cried out defensively, "Haiku was the one who wrote this speech."

Upon being reminded of this; the Goth in question suddenly blushed with embarrassment and made a note to revise the welcoming speech, one day. "Look, the point is...you guys really helped us out of a really bad situation yesterday" Carol stated, "you showed true loyalty, bravery, cleverness and an overall fun side that we can't help but love!" By this point, Beatrix was so overwhelmed with joy; her whole body appeared close to bursting with it.

"Now, everybody...bow your heads" Carol instructed, "this is where you'll be officially inducted into the Gal Pals crew." After taking a moment to calm down their overall excitement, the girls and Omar did as instructed and bowed their heads slightly. Then, Carol reached into her purse and pulled out her hairbrush; one she considered to be "the fanciest-looking one."

With this item in hand, she tapped each of their shoulders lightly; as if she were a queen granting knighthood unto young heroes. "By my authority, as Lincoln's eldest guardian and the eldest member of our group; I hereby name you five as the newest additions to the Gal Pals" Carol decreed, "welcome aboard, new BFF's!" With that said; everyone cheered loudly and proceeded to greet their new members with friendly hugs, high-fives or fist bumps.

But then, much to everyone's surprise; they suddenly noticed Beatrix sniffling softly while tears trickled down her cheeks. "What's wrong, Bea" Lincoln asked with concern, "you're part of the group...isn't that what you wanted?" After taking a moment to calm down, Beatrix dried her tears and smiled her usual grin towards Lincoln.

"I'm fine, Lincoln; really" she assured, "I just...I never thought I would find this many new friends in my life." Lincoln returned Beatrix's smile with one of his own and proclaimed he felt the same way, when _he_ first met the Gals. "Okay, you guys; enough cryin'" Phoebe said suddenly, "now's the time to celebrate!"

With that said, Lincoln asked his dad to whip up everything on the Party Menu; which he happily agreed. Afterwards, the Gal Pals immediately went into a conversation with their newest members; half of which revolved around what to do on their next group hangout. While this went on, Lincoln turned towards the "screen;" eager to give his final thoughts to the "viewer."

"Well...aside from a few scares and metaphorical bumps on the road, everything turned out great with our camping venture" he stated, "my newest school friends and one of my _neighborhood_ friends are now part of the group, which means we'll get to have all sorts of fun together!" As if on cue; the moment he said this, Beatrix began to propose the idea of another camping trip one day.

"I suppose we _could_ do that" murmured Dana, "but if and when that time comes...I say we camp out in one of our yards; all in favor, shout Gal Pals!" No sooner had she said this, everyone sounded out the aforementioned words; this time with a few new voices added to the mix. "Yup, it's official" Lincoln said confidently to the "viewer, "I think our newest members will fit in pretty well with us."

(First AN: While we've all met the officers many times before, I wanted to do my best in creating unique spouses for each of them. On that note, I wanted to make Officer Simmons an LGBTQ+ character because I wanted to give each of the three officers a unique relationship type. Mind you, her spouse's presence isn't a big one but I still wanted to give her a good character.

Speaking of which; I loosely based Simmons' wife/partner on the Totally Spies character, Donna Ramon from the episode Spy Gladiators. Her personality just resonated with me, even after all these years. Meanwhile, I wanted Randolph/Mr. Higgins to be like a sort of "hipster..." but I had to take several shots in the dark, while I was creating his look and persona.

As for Mr. Campos, I wanted _him_ to be as much of a nerd as Lincoln often is; at least, in terms of his personality)

(Second AN: Due to Lincoln's bad memories at Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, I felt it better for the gang to have their campout/initiation down at the Bluebells Camp; where the Loud Sisters all did their scouting routines in. I may not be much of a camper myself but still, I imagine professional camping areas would allow these sort of events to happen)

(Third AN: While Dolores' story about the Cucuy is an actual part of Hispanic culture, the other stories featured here come from a variety of different sources. Firstly, Ellie's Booker the Butcher story comes from the Playstation 2 game entitled "Gun." It's told by a group of enemy NPCs while you move your character through camp at night. The Ballad of Sara Berry comes from 35MM: A Musical Expedition, which is a sort of collection of various musical performances. I'm sorry for sounding vague, I just can't find much info on it.

Lastly, we come to the Headless Coachman; which is a story loosely inspired by the Hey Arnold episode entitled The Headless Cabbie. I claim no ownership of any of these stories, each of them belongs to their respective owners. So...please, don't sue me)

(Fourth AN: Before telling the tale of the Headless Coachman, Beatrix's first story attempt about "Lil' Jimmy Simpkins" is originally from the Johnny Bravo episode entitled "Johnny Goes to Camp." Due to her computer coding skills, I figured that would've been something only someone like _her _would find terrifying)

(Final AN: In the future, you may be seeing the newest members of the Gal Pals group make appearances in other installments of this anthology. But I can't spoil on when or which ones they might appear in, you will all just have to wait and see for yourselves. Regardless, I hope my adding the likes of Beatrix appeals to some of you.

Having her be included was requested to me by one of my followers/reviewers and fellow Loud House fan, crafordbrian17)


	13. Golden Oldies with the Gal Pals

Golden Oldies with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: Lincoln is off to hang out with Pop-Pop at Sunset Canyons, one Saturday morning. But when he arrives, he comes across a few new faces among the crowd of seniors; ones that he doesn't quite recall seeing before. Yet, at the same time; these "newbies" seem to have a sort of...vibe to her that feels oddly familiar to him.

Who are these seniors, how long have they been in the Home and will Lincoln be able to get along with them well enough...find out and see)

On a brisk Saturday morning in Royal Woods; we find Lincoln in his room, feverishly getting dressed. At one point during his haste, he suddenly becomes entangled by his own pants and stumbles over himself clumsily. After recovering from his spill, a split-second later; he catches sight of the "viewer" and chuckles sheepishly.

"Sorry you all had to see that, everybody" he murmured while straightening out his pants, "I'm just super excited for this weekend." Upon saying this, Lincoln went on to explain that it was the start of Columbus Day weekend; which meant three days off from school. On one of these days, his mother suggested that he could spend some time with his grandfather down at Sunset Canyons; who was rather anxious to see him.

"I haven't visited Pop-Pop much over the summer" Lincoln confessed, "so, I want to make up for lost time...and he says there's a surprise waiting for me there." After smoothing out his clothes and combing his hair out nicely, he was now ready to leave. "I wonder what sort of surprise Pop-Pop has for me at the home" Lincoln pondered, "maybe they've added a waterslide to the pool or put in a Karaoke machine in the Common Room!"

As these ideas and more buzzed about in Lincoln's head, he suddenly heard a light tap on his bedroom door. After letting out a soft yelp of surprise and falling over himself...again, Lincoln soon heard his mother's voice calling to him from outside his room. _"Lincoln, honey; are you almost ready"_ she asked, _"I've got Vanzilla outside revved up and raring to go when you are."_

After shouting out the words "give me just a second" back to his mother; Lincoln smoothed out his clothes, collected his backpack, did a final touch up on his hair and headed out the door.

(Line Break)

After a short and rather smooth car ride, Vanzilla had reached its destination; the front entrance to Sunset Canyons. "Now, remember; Lincoln" Rita began, "I'll be working late at Dr. Feinstein's office today and Lori will be busy prepping for college; so, I've asked one of your...Gal Pals to come pick you up later." No sooner had she said the group's name, Rita couldn't help but giggle a little; not out of mockery but over how adorable it sounded.

"I've told you many times before, Mom; I didn't think up the name" Lincoln murmured with a light blush, "it was either Carol or Dana's original idea!" Rita chuckled softly at his response, following it up with the typical "I was just messing with you" reply and hugged him tenderly. "Seriously, though; either Carol or one of her friends will be picking you up this afternoon" she explained, "so, try not to go overboard with Pop-Pop in there?"

Once more, Lincoln lightly rolled his eyes at his mother and proclaimed that he would be on his best behavior. After that and after giving his mother a light kiss on the cheek, he collected his things and stepped out of the van. The moment he did, a familiar face came outside to greet Lincoln; his grandfather.

"Heya, sport; welcome back to the home" he said while lifting Lincoln up for a warm hug, "you ready to have some fun?" In response, Lincoln smiled broadly and offered up a simple "you know it." After sharing a quick goodbye to Rita, the boys headed back inside of the retirement home.

Upon entering, Lincoln found himself tensing up slightly; something Albert took immediate notice of. "What's the matter, buddy" he asked with concern, "you're not having second thoughts are ya?" The moment he heard this, Lincoln instantly snapped out of his daze and smiled slightly.

"N-No, no Pop-Pop; I _am_ happy to be here" he assured with a light yet nervous chuckle, "it's just...I'm worried I might cross paths with Nurse Sue again and something in my bones tells me she hasn't forgiven me for what happened last time." In an instant, his mind was suddenly flooded with images of him and Albert almost getting into trouble with Sue; just because they were a minute or so past curfew. But then, he snapped out of these thoughts when he felt his grandfather's hand on his shoulder.

"Remember that surprise I told ya about on the phone" he asked slyly, "well, here's one of 'em...look over at the reception desk." After taking in a nervous gulp, Lincoln turned his gaze over to the aforementioned desk; wondering what his grandfather wanted to show him. Instead of finding Sue there, he spotted a rather relaxed looking couple standing beside the orderly.

The first of the pair was a man presumably in his late 30's. His auburn hair was neatly tied into a cotton ball ponytail, he sported a "goat patch" style goatee upon his chin, wore a pair of oval glasses and was dressed in the typical medical attire. Beside him was a young woman also dressed in such clothing.

She stood two feet shorter than her partner, had short black hair, wore a pair of pink teashade glasses and sported a necklace that had a rainbow colored peace sign at the center. Something about the duo reminded Lincoln of his guidance counselor at school, Ms. Rain. At the same time, he wondered how a pair of supposedly "chill" individuals could handle managing a retirement home?

Without further delay, Albert led Lincoln over to the Reception Desk; eager to introduce his grandson to the new "bosses." "Jamie, Amber; I'd like you to meet my grandson" he said to the duo, "Lincoln, meet our new head caretakers; Mr. and Miss Gibbons." As the pair looked down at Lincoln; they smiled softly and, much to his surprise, greeted him with a bow.

"Greetings, child and _Namaste_" Mr. Gibbons said softly, "Albert has been quite anxious about your arrival." Before Lincoln could speak up, Ms. Gibbons approached Lincoln and placed a flower crown atop his head while also extending the greeting of "Namaste" unto him. "Okay...while I do appreciate the warm welcome, I'm confused" Lincoln murmured uneasily, "where's Sue?"

As if sensing his confusion, the orderly stepped forward and told him that Sue was no longer part of the staff. "It happened over the summer; didn't your mother tell ya about it, pal" questioned Pop-Pop, "if not...long story short, Mayor Davis got wind of what Sue's been doin' with us seniors here." He went on to explain to Lincoln how the mayor considered the head nurse's authority both unfair and unethical towards the residents.

"As a result, she was relieved of her duties as Sunset Canyons' caregiver" Ms. Gibbons stated, "but she didn't quite accept her termination with grace."

(A brief flashback shows Sue throwing such an angry fit over losing her job that several orderlies were needed to help "escort" her out the building. She is then put into Officer Schoffner's police car but not before she uses her taser on the disgruntled nurse, knocking her out)

After a quick cut back to the present; Albert explained that rather than throw her in "the Pokey," Officer Schoffner gave Sue a position in managing the new recruits down at the Police Academy. "Of course, the chief of police stressed for her not to act too strict on them" Mr. Gibbons added, "if anyone was to be terminated, it would be the chief's responsibility."

After taking a moment to let his mind process everything, Lincoln smiled and said he was happy to hear that things were changing a little. "So, my Pop-Pop says you just started working here during the summer" he stated, "where was your last job...if I may ask?" Without hesitation, the Gibbons' revealed that they used to be instructors at the yoga studio in downtown Royal Woods.

"We loved working there for some time" Ms. Gibbons stated, "but here, we feel our knowledge of inner peace and relief can be of more use." As one final question, Lincoln asked if any of Sue's old policies or the curfew was still in affect. "We still have a curfew here, my boy" Mr. Gibbons replied, "but should any of the seniors possibly break it, they're just be confined to their rooms until further notice instead of being kicked out of the home."

This bit of information seemed to please Lincoln; while no one liked a curfew, _this_ one was firm yet fair. "Unlike Nurse Sue, we believe that while seniors need to be cared for, they have as much right to have fun as young people do" Ms. Gibbons decreed, "as such, all activities here at the center remain in tact." This bit of news was music to Lincoln's ears, to say the least.

Now, he knew that he was going to have loads of fun at the home with Pop-Pop. "Follow me, kiddo" the old man said joyfully, "time for me to show ya your other surprise." With that said, he took Lincoln gently by the hand and led him to the TV area; where several seniors were seen watching what looked like a game show.

_"I'd like to solve the puzzle, please"_ the contestant said uneasily, "_is it..._'Three Loins in the Fountain?'" In response, this inquiry was met with a loud buzzer; indicating that he was incorrect. "UGH! People are so stupid" groaned Scoots, "I knew the answer before that mook filled up half the board!"

Several of the other seniors beside her mumbled in agreement, while adding "what are they teachin' kids these days" to their statements. Just as the game was about to continue, Albert called out softly; gaining their attention. "Heya, gang" he said with glee, "any room for one more?"

With this declaration/inquiry made, Albert stepped slightly to the side and revealed the smiling face of Lincoln. As most of the seniors greeted him accordingly, one of them appeared to be bubbling with joy. She was a lovely woman with a red sleeveless shirt, brown slacks, yellow earrings, white slip-on shoes and a white bracelet around her left wrist.

Her two most notable features were the adorable mole on her cheek and her brown beehive hairdo. "Welcome back, Linky" the woman said joyfully, "c'mere and give your Gran-Gran a big hug!" Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln hurried over and leapt into his honorary grandmother's arms; kissing her cheek. "It's so great to see you again, Myrtle" he chuckled, "sorry I've been kind of AWOL over the summer."

Myrtle pulled back slightly from the hug, looked Lincoln straight in the eyes and smiled warmly. "Think nothing of it, sweetie" she assured, "Al said you and your family would be busy over the summer." Upon mentioning this, Myrtle sat Lincoln down and immediately started asking him how the family was doing.

"They're actually doing pretty well" he replied, "after completing their Community Service and stuff, things have been...slowly getting back to normal with them." From here, Lincoln also added that thanks to the classes they took; Lori and Lynn were a lot more stable. "I mean...imagine my surprise when I discovered that Lynn was watching me from afar on my first day of Middle School" he explained, "if she wasn't and if she hadn't told the coach what was happening, I would've been massacred by a whole group of students."

The moment he said this, some of the seniors gasped in alarm; while others shook their heads and muttered "what are these kids comin' to." Upon seeing the looks of shock on the group's faces, Lincoln suddenly freaked out and apologized for saying too much. No sooner had he said this, a woman reached over and patted his wrist reassuringly.

She looked to be in her late 60's with long grayish-blonde hair, slight traces of wrinkles on her cheeks and a light touch of pink lipstick upon her lips. She wore a purple sweater bearing nature designs on the front, a gold charm necklace, purple bunny slippers and bifocal glasses. "No need to apologize, young man" she said kindly, "my grandchildren told me about you...including what you've dealt with this past year."

Meanwhile, the other seniors in the group revealed that _they_ came to know about Lincoln's plight through news reports. "I've gotta admit; over those weeks, I didn't much like that Mulligan broad interruptin' my stories" grumbled an old man in a checkered shirt, "but when I learned it involved Al's family...I made an exception." This man then started to voice not only his concern about what Lincoln endured but also his disdain towards his sisters' behavior.

Beside this fellow was a woman with short brown hair that had a streak of grey across it. She wore a beautiful orange and green shawl around her shoulders, a purple muumuu and orange sandals upon her feet. The next person Lincoln saw was an old man looking through a book of some kind.

Unfortunately, there was no title on the cover; thus, Lincoln couldn't tell what he was reading. After a while, Albert realized he had neglected to make proper introductions and decided to rectify that error. "Lincoln, you've already become acquainted with some of the gang here before" he said while gesturing to the likes of Scoots and Seymour, "but we gained some new arrivals here while you were on Summer Break...wanna meet 'em?"

With a broad smile on his face, Lincoln nodded in reply and was first led over to the woman in the purple sweater. "Let's start off with Vivian here" Albert began, "though, among friends; she's also called Vivi." Upon being introduced, Vivian smiled warmly at Lincoln and shook his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, young man" she said in greeting, "my grandson, Charlie tells me you and him are quite the Ace Savvy fans." At first, Lincoln felt a little confused by Vivi's words; mostly because he'd never met anyone named "Charlie" before. But regardless, he was happy to know that there were more Ace fans out in the world.

"It's funny you mention that, Vivi" Myrtle giggled, "Lincoln here has made a couple of his own Ace stories...and they're quite popular." Upon hearing this, Vivi cooed softly with delight and urged Lincoln to have a seat; feeling eager to hear about his stories. "It's nothing much, really" he chuckled with a light blush, "the first one I did pits Ace and the Full House Gang against a group of villains I call 'The Chess Court.'"

From here, Lincoln began to go into detail on the characters; describing them as if they were "living Chess pieces." "Am I right in guessin' that you're familiar with the game, son" inquired a man sitting beside Bernie, "if so, I'd like to see just how good you are." Albert chuckled softly at him and immediately introduced Lincoln to the man, whom he addressed as Michael.

He was tall, lean yet quite healthy for his age, wore a hand-knit scarf around his neck and a bushy grey mustache underneath his pointed nose. Michael appeared to be balding, wore a purple checkered stripe shirt, khakis that were held up by a pair of suspenders and a pair of brown shoes. "So...what do ya say, young man" inquired Michael, "care to play a quick game?"

For a moment, Lincoln hesitated; on one hand, it had been ages since he played Chess for fun and he was worried he might lose too soon. But on the other hand, he didn't wish to be rude to the old man and he was looking for ways to enjoy himself here. So, in the end; Lincoln decided to accept Michael's offer.

(Line Break)

Some time passed since the duo began and, to Lincoln, the game seemed to drag on for ages. "I don't want to seem rude here, Sir" he murmured, "but I do believe it's your move." Michael only chuckled at this statement and reminded that a game like Chess could not be rushed.

"It's all about the thinkin', my boy; loads of plannin', concentration and studyin' what your opponent's moves might be" Michael said matter-of-factly, "which is what you gotta have when you're out on the battlefield surrounded by enemies." This sudden bombshell shocked Lincoln so greatly, he almost fell out of his chair. "You're a veteran...wow" he gasped in awe, "what war did you fight in; WWII, Vietnam, the Korean War?"

The moment he heard the Second World War among the boy's examples, Michael let out a playful scoff. "I may be old, young man...but I ain't _that_ old" he said playfully, "nope, did my part on the front during the Korean War." From here, Michael began to regale Lincoln about his time as a battle strategist for his garrison.

He told him of all the covert missions he helped plan, all the spying he did within enemy lines and even showed him a small wound on the side of his arm. "Got this when one of those Commies almost sliced me with his knife" he stated, "thankfully, it only nicked me." When Lincoln observed the scar closely, he couldn't help but feel a combined sense of awe and dread.

"My sister, Lynn has a few scars of her own" he murmured sheepishly, "of course...half of them are either from the sports she played or whenever she fought me and my sisters back home." Upon hearing this, several of the "new" seniors proclaimed that Albert told them plenty of stories about his grandchildren and their squabbling. "When he talked about your sister, Lynn's athletic skills; I found it pretty impressive" the muumuu-wearing woman muttered, "until I heard how aggressive she can often be."

No sooner had this woman said this, she surprised Lincoln by offering up a Buddhist quote; _"Self-Control is Strength, Right Thought is Mastery, Calmness is power." _"Whoa...that's deep, reminds me of something my Guidance Counselor would say" Lincoln murmured, "who taught you that lesson." Albert chuckled lightly with anticipation and introduced the woman as Gertie.

"Back when she was your mother's age, she once traveled up to Asia" he explained, "where she later crossed paths with the legendary Shaolin Monks." To say that Lincoln was surprised by this reveal would be a gross understatement. After coming to his senses, moments later; Lincoln asked if she spent most of her time there training or meditating with them.

"Don't get distracted, my young friend" Michael said suddenly, "I'll tell ya what...starting now; anytime you take down one of my pieces, I'll tell ya somethin' about me and the gang here." In addition to this; he proclaimed that anytime _Lincoln_ lost a piece, _he_ would need to share something about himself. "You have yourself a deal, Sir" the young Loud boy decreed, "however...I haven't played the game in the while and may be a little rusty."

Michael only smiled at Lincoln and assured him he would help lend a hand, anytime he felt stuck. "To start with, be careful with how many Pawns ya move ahead" he said suddenly, "if ya send out too many, you'll lose your front line's defense." With that said, he used his pawn to swiftly knock down one of Lincoln's; leaving the young Loud boy surprised.

_"I'm just happy Lisa and Zach is here to see this" _he thought to himself, _"if they saw this, they'd never let me live it down."_ After shaking that thought out of his head, Lincoln looked on and saw Michael giving him a sort of odd look. "Well...I'm waiting" he said with a light chuckle, "you lost a piece first...so, tell me somethin' about yourself."

Lincoln gave a light chuckle in reply and asked Michael what he wished to know that his grandfather hadn't told him yet? "Well...for starters, where were ya while your family was fighting each other" he asked bluntly, "Katherine Mulligan kept sayin' you were on your own the whole time." Before Lincoln could speak up, Scoots butted in and said that Mulligan was just full of hot air and that no one should believe what she says.

"Well...I thought I _was _going to be on my own during that whole thing" Lincoln confessed shyly, "but then, I had a run-in with some people my oldest sisters knew from school." This bit of information surprised Myrtle, who proceeded to ask if these girls did anything to him. "We'll find that out soon enough, Missy" Michael interjected, "but not until I take his next piece."

After that, he gestured for Lincoln to make his next move; stressing that he should think carefully on it. With this suggestion in mind, Lincoln took a moment to memorize his remaining pieces and the ones Michael currently had out in play on the board. After a while, he took a leap of faith and moved his left knight forward.

The round seemed to go on for some time but neither player rushed themselves in making their moves. Finally, Lincoln moved his earlier knight forward and took out one of Michael's Pawns. "Very good, son" he said with approval, "now...what would ya like to know?"

After taking a moment to think things over, Lincoln turned to the side and caught sight of the man with the blank book cover. "Who's he and what kind of book is he reading" he asked, "there doesn't seem to be a title on the cover...just some sort of emblem." Mere seconds after Lincoln asked about him; the old man suddenly closed his book shut, smoothed out the sleeves of his sweater and gazed at him intently.

This gave Lincoln the chance to truly look him over face-to-face. Much like Michael, his physique was lean yet healthy for his age. He was balding with only a small patch of grey hair behind his head, which sort of reminded Lincoln of Principal Huggins. He wore a pair of glasses that were held around his neck by a thin silver chain, wore a yellow and white turtleneck with green horizontal stripes, green fleece pants and appeared to be confined to a wheelchair.

This man then placed his book upon his lap, turned his chair around slightly with his hand and proceeded to wheel himself over towards Lincoln. "The name's Cyrus Snapper but my pals call me Cy for short" he stated while shaking Lincoln's hand, "as for my book, have a look inside for yourself." With that said, Cy placed his book in Lincoln's hands and asked him to turn to the first page.

Upon doing so, the young Loud boy saw a collection of black & white photos. Some of them were random snapshots of either nature or people, others featured what looked like an army base of some kind. Turning to the next few pages, Lincoln could see more colorized photographs; many of them featuring either a younger version of Samuel or some other folks.

At one point, he came across a photo featuring him and a little girl. She had short brown hair, an adorable collection of freckles on her cheeks, a cute button nose and stood up to Samuel's left knee. "These are all very nice, Sir" Lincoln complimented, "but...might I ask where you got all these photos from?"

With a hearty laugh in his throat, Cyrus revealed that _he_ was the one who took the photos; with the exception of the one of him with the little girl. "See, kiddo; Cyrus here used to be a wartime photographer back during the WWII days" Albert explained, "the kind of people who willingly go on the field and either take photos or record footage of the fighting." While Lincoln's eyes almost popped out from this news, Cyrus simply rolled his own and claimed "Al is just exaggerating."

Then, after he let everything sink in; Lincoln suddenly found himself growing quite suspicious. _"So, Cy has a passion for photography"_ he thought to himself while looking at the photo with the little girl, _"could he possibly...nah!"_ Soon, it was time for Michael to make his move; which involved something he called "The Sicilian Defense."

Naturally, Lincoln wasn't familiar with this move and was thus led into losing another piece. "Here's a question from me, dearie" Gertie stated, "who helped look after when all that...for lack of better words, nonsense with your family was going on?" At first, Lincoln felt a little apprehensive towards her question.

But then, he realized that unlike with the Protocol fight; there was no big secret to hide anymore. So, he revealed that the friends of his eldest sisters along with some girls from his own school helped look after him. "I stayed overnight at their houses, back then" Lincoln explained, "those gals really helped me through some stuff."

Feeling both intrigued yet concerned at the same time, the Gertie asked what happened during his time away. "Wait until he loses another piece, missy" Michael said confidently, "which may be coming sooner rather than later." Lincoln's eyes narrowed slightly at him, feeling challenged by his mild fighting words.

Then, he took a look around the board; hoping to find a way to gain the upper hand. That was when he caught sight of Michael's Bishop, which was just within range of his left Knight. Seizing the opportunity, he moved the piece over; which made Michael just a little nervous.

For a few moments, he tried to find another piece that could put Lincoln at a disadvantage and then...he found it. With a sly smile upon his face, he decided to move his Bishop up a little; which gave Lincoln the chance he needed. "HA! Got another one, Sir" he cheered, "now...for my next question, I'd like to know something about your new caregivers."

Without a moment's pause, he asked how long they had been together as a couple. "Oh! No, no, no kiddo; you have it all wrong" guffawed Albert, "Jamie and Amber aren't a couple, they're _siblings._" To Lincoln; this reveal felt like such a knockout, he practically fell out of his seat in shock. "Yeah...when we met them, _we_ kinda had the same reaction too" Michael chuckled, "but they're siblings and Amber is Jamie's baby sister."

Upon letting all this process, Lincoln directed his gaze towards the Gibbons Duo; who were in the midst of helping some seniors make lanyards. However, this proved to be just the distraction Michael needed to make his next move. With a loud "HA" in his throat, he knocked down Lincoln's knight with his own.

Once that was done, he brought up Gertie's earlier question of what had happened with Lincoln during his time away from home. "Take your pick, Sir" sighed the young Loud boy, "between the panic attacks, the nightmares, getting into a huge fight with Lynn at Ketchum Park, having to visit a psychiatrist _and_ going to court against my own family...I had an eventful Spring Break." This confession not only made the seniors feel concerned but the Gibbons Siblings as well.

After that, there was a stone-cold silence; the only other sounds that were heard came from the television. Then, finally; Myrtle walked over to Lincoln and lightly held him in a loving hug. "It's okay, sweetheart" she whispered soothingly, "the important thing is you're okay now and so is your family."

The other seniors sounded off in agreement, while also expressing their sympathies towards him for what he endured. "Thank you, everyone" Lincoln murmured gratefully, "sorry if me talking about this seems upsetting to you." No sooner had he said this; Scoots let out a soft cackle and said that over the years, they'd all seen and heard far worse.

After this, the game continued and overtime; Lincoln was able to claim one of Michael's pawns. "Okay...next question from me" he muttered thoughtfully, "I'd like to know who the guy in the checkered shirt is?" As if on cue; the aforementioned senior rose out of his seat, walked up to Lincoln and shook his hand in greeting.

The moment he did, he suddenly found himself wincing slightly from the man's grip. "Pleasure to meet you, boy" the man chuckled, "the name's Roscoe but everyone here calls me Ross." After the pain subsided a little in his arm, Lincoln smiled up at the man and greeted him accordingly.

"Gotta say, Sir; you're quite strong for your age" he commented, "do you work out?" Roscoe smiled warmly at Lincoln and confessed that he "dabbled" in a little calisthenics, every now and again. These ranged between small things like lifting his personal dumbbell a few times to partaking in a round or two of going up the climbing wall at the park.

"What the...are you serious" Lincoln cried out in disbelief, "excuse me if this seems rude, Sir but...you've gotta be kidding me with all that." Roscoe gave him a sly look, chuckled a little and told him that a marine would never joke about what they were capable of. "Hold up..._you_ were in the marines" Lincoln asked, "how long were you in service, where were you stationed?"

At first, Michael was prepared to tell the boy to wait until his next possible win for the answer. But he decided to let him hear it for free...just this once. "Been in the service for 25 years down in the pacific"

He then added that even after he was discharged, he did his best to remain active; doing whatever form of fun exercises he could think of. "My granddaughter often tells me she hopes to become a toughie like me...or that Rip Hardcore fella that's on television, when she grows up" Roscoe stated, "I told her she could be...if'n she didn't fuss over her hair so much! HEE-HEE!" Upon hearing him mention about his granddaughter's hair issues, Lincoln's mind started buzzing.

Outside of his own family (specifically Lori, Leni and Lola at times;) he only knew of three other people who were bothered by such things. At the same time, he thought it all just seemed too coincidental to be real.

(Two Hours Later)

Almost two hours passed by and Lincoln and Michael still remained locked in their game. Both sides were almost cleared of their pieces with only two pawns on Michael's side, one pawn on Lincoln's side, the Kings and Lincoln's only Bishop remaining. Surprisingly, Lincoln was having so much fun that he didn't care whether he'd win or lose the game.

Over the last few, Lincoln came to learn a great deal about this group of seniors. He learned a little about their old lives, about their favorite hobbies and he even found their banter towards what was on the television amusing. Truth be told, he hadn't felt this happy since...he got close with the Gal Pals.

The moment this thought popped into his head, Lincoln considered asking the group if they'd like to visit Sunset Canyons. But all too quickly, he realized how much of a stretch the idea seemed and shook it out of his head. "Don't start daydreamin' on me now, boy" Michael called out softly, "I'm just one move away from winning this game."

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln found himself tugging at his hair furiously; desperate to try and think of a way to save himself. But after looking through every angle on the board, he saw that there was no way for him to win. However, after looking through everything one final time; Lincoln found it...something that Michael wouldn't expect.

"You're right, Sir; I can't beat you in the usual fashion" he sighed, "but...there _is _one other move I _can_ make." Before Michael or anyone had a chance to speak up, Lincoln had moved his Bishop into position and smiled. Upon seeing this maneuver for himself, Albert couldn't help but guffaw with joy.

"Well...lookie here, Mike" he said between chuckles, "looks like my grandson's caught ya in a stalemate position." Mildly alarmed by this news, the old man gazed down at the board carefully to see if Albert was mistaken. But in the end, he saw the truth; Lincoln's King, Bishop and remaining Pawn had surrounded one of Michael's own.

While his secondary Pawn was still within attack position, his King was trapped at the bottom of his side of the board. This left neither Lincoln nor Michael with no other means to continue. Thus, both players had no other choice but to call the game a draw; which they were more than happy to do so.

"That was some game, boyo" Michael chuckled heartily, "I didn't think a youngin like you could keep me on my toes for so long." Lincoln heaved out a deep sigh and proclaimed he owed all his "knowledge" of the game to his sister, Lisa. "In fact, it was those games and seeing the Human Chess Match at the Ren Faire in the past that inspired me to write the Checkmate Ace Savvy stories" he explained, "but...I imagine you wouldn't care for such things."

In response to this, Michael declared that while he wasn't much of a comic reader; he _was_ curious about how Lincoln added the game of Chess into his story. "Oh, well...I'd be happy to show you one of the issues" Lincoln said sheepishly, "but I left it at home." It was here that inspiration struck him like a blow to the head.

Without a moment's pause, Lincoln asked for a piece of paper and a pen or a pencil from somewhere; anywhere. "I have a pen in my purse, dearie" Vivian offered while handing it to him, "I just hope it has enough ink." Not long after this, Albert handed him a piece of paper from the reception desk.

Once he saw that the pen still had ink, Lincoln began to draw. As the seniors watched, some of them couldn't help but feel rather impressed. Lincoln scribbled and swirled the pen about the paper so fluidly, he looked as though he was waving a conductor's baton.

When he was finally finished, five minutes later; Lincoln looked over his work and smiled with satisfaction. "Here's one of the characters from the story" he stated, "he's one of the Court's Knights and I used the image of the game piece for his armor style." With that, he placed the paper on the table and showed it to the seniors.

To some of them, the helmet shaped like a horse's head seemed a tad odd. But after Lincoln explained to them what the Court was like, it all made sense. "A team of Chess themed antagonists" Vivi chuckled, "I'll bet ol' Bill Buck was rather surprised by this idea." Lincoln smiled and confessed that according to Mr. Buck; while Ace's world had mostly characters with a card game theme, a board game themed group was an interesting change of pace.

"I'm inclined to agree" murmured Samuel, "there's just one thing that puzzles me; with a helmet like that, how in the blazes could the wearer see?" As if expecting this response, Lincoln pointed towards the neck of the helm; where everyone could see a slot of some kind. "The person inside the armor just has to move the slot to the side" Lincoln explained, "then, they'll be able to see."

This description seemed to make sense to Michael and he, once again commended him on his idea. "Over Spring Break, I've been working on another Ace Savvy series" Lincoln stated, "and it features all the new friends I told you guys about." This bit of news sounded rather heartwarming to the likes of Myrtle, Vivian and Gertie; who all felt that this idea must've pleased these lady friends of Lincoln's.

"It did, trust me" he assured, "they especially loved the costumes I came up for them." Before Lincoln could continue on, Jamie came up from behind and tapped on his shoulder; halting his train of thought. "So sorry to interrupt, young man" he said in a sweet tone, "but I just wanted to remind everyone that lunch will be served soon."

The moment he said this, everyone's stomachs suddenly let out a unified gurgle of hunger; including Lincoln's. "Looks like our earlier game went on longer than I thought, boyo" Michael chortled, "let's eat." With that in mind, Lincoln immediately unzipped his backpack and pulled out something from inside; a baggie full of cookies.

"My friend, Clyde and I made these ourselves" he stated, "would anybody like one...they're sugar free." Without a moment's pause, several hands reached over towards Lincoln; begging him to share some of his cookies. "Hold on just a moment, now" Ms. Gibbons called out suddenly, "I don't wish to sound like I don't trust you, young man...but are those cookies safe for seniors to eat?"

With a proud smile on his face, Lincoln assured Amber and her brother that his cookies were "a-okay." "It's a little something my buddy came up with" he stated, "they're made with sugar-free applesauce, a sprinkle of coconut and just a pinch of cinnamon." After listening to Lincoln's description of his confections, the seniors could feel their mouths salivating slightly with hunger.

But just as they were about to receive these treats Jamie quickly intervened. "Let's not be too hasty, everyone" he said in a firm yet tender tone, "if you all finish your lunches, you can each have one...if Lincoln doesn't mind sharing." Without pause, the boy in question shook his head in reply; proclaiming that this was the exact reason why he packed them in his bag.

"That's wonderful to hear" Ms. Gibbons said with joy, "now, would you be a dear and help us set up the seniors' trays?" With his trademark bucktoothed grin upon his face, Lincoln gave a nod and went to work.

(Line Break)

After lunch, Lincoln helped the Gibbons Siblings with the clean-up duty while the seniors were either watching television or taking a nap. As he gently placed the food trays into a nearby sink, Lincoln heard Ms. Gibbons call out to him from behind. "I just wanted to thank you, young man" she said gratefully, "not just for helping us out...but for entertaining the seniors as well."

Lincoln felt a light blush form on his face, upon hearing the compliment and he bashfully declared that his efforts "were no big deal." "I always love seeing my Pop-Pop, either here or when he visits me at home" he stated, "but...I wonder if anyone comes to see Michael and his friends here?" Almost immediately, Mr. Gibbons approached Lincoln and assured him that the group's kinfolk always find time to see them.

"Unfortunately, every now and again; life tends to throw a monkey wrench into our plans" he said with a light chuckle, "Michael's granddaughter, for example is currently dealing with some college preparations and that might take her a while." For possibly the umpteenth time that day, Lincoln found himself speechless. Once again, he found himself sensing an oddly familiar vibe from the new group of seniors.

_"No way, Linc; it's purely coincidental"_ Lincoln chuckled mentally, _"then again...Pop-Pop said he had a couple of surprises in store and I've already seen one of them." _With that thought in mind, he made a mental note to ask his grandfather what else he was hiding from him...but not till later. For now, he focused on helping the Gibbons' with the dish washing.

For about fifteen to twenty minutes, they scrubbed off and dried every tray and drinking cup in the sink. Then, as Lincoln finished washing off the last of the trays; he felt a sudden vibrating sensation in his back pocket. "AH! Note to self, _never_ store your cellphone in there again" Lincoln mumbled, "wonder who could be calling me."

After taking out his phone and looking at the screen, he saw that it was a text message sent from Carol. It read "I've just finished up here, will be popping in on you in a few minutes XOXOXO Carol & Gang." "This is great" Lincoln murmured softly in an excited tone, "I can't wait to introduce Carol to my friends here."

Soon after that, he informed the Gibbons' about his friends' arrival; which they happily welcomed. When this news was revealed to the seniors, they cried out with joy. "I can't wait to meet your friends, Lincoln" Myrtle exclaimed with glee, "if they're as great as you described them...we're in for some fun!"

Lincoln giggled softly at his "Gran-Gran" and was moments away from putting his phone back into his pocket...until Michael snatched it away from him. However, he seemed more interested in the name of who sent Lincoln the message. "So...this Carol girl" he murmured inquisitively, "is she one of those lady friend you told us about earlier, by chance?"

While a little confused about this sudden inquiry, at first; Lincoln answered him with a short and simple "yes." When he asked Michael why he felt so curious about the name, the old man chuckled softly and simply replied "oh...no reason." This all seemed to make Lincoln feel even more perplexed.

But he had little time to think on it due to Amber calling everyone outside. "We've been cooped up indoors for quite awhile today, everybody" she stated, "how about a nice game of shuffleboard to loosen up the limbs?" Within seconds, this suggestion was met with an enthusiastic cheer of agreement from everyone; including Lincoln.

"Time to see if those lessons I've been givin' ya will pay off" Albert laughed, "are ya ready, sport?" In response, Lincoln flashed his grandfather a broad smile and asked, "should we play guys against girls...or older vs. younger?" The seniors laughed at his small joke and proclaimed that if they went with the latter option, he would be at a huge disadvantage.

"Okay, Ladies against Gents it is then" Albert decreed, "to the shuffleboard court!" With that, the seniors hurried out the door leading to the back yard of the home. But all too quickly, they were spotted by the Gibbons'; who urged them to move at a reasonable speed.

"The more things change, the more they often stay the same...in some ways" Lincoln giggled at the viewer, "I really can't wait for Carol to get here!" After that, he took hold of his grandfather's hand and they speed-walked out the door.

(Line Break)

Some time later, a familiar purple van parked itself outside of the retirement home. From out of this van came the eldest members of the Gal Pals Crew; Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana. Once she locked the doors, Carol took a moment to massage her temples; possibly trying to subdue a bad headache.

"UGH! I thought I'd never leave that campus" said the lead teen, "I mean, I'm excited about college and everything...but if I had to stand and listen to the Dean drone on about the school's architecture any longer, I was going to _lose it!_" After taking a moment to suppress her laughter, Becky pat her bestie on the back and reminded her that they still reached their destination on time. "You're right, B...we did" sighed Carol, "hope Lincoln's doing okay in there."

Suddenly a loud cry echoed through the air, which almost caused the four teens to leap out of their shoes. "That came from the backyard" Dana exclaimed fearfully, "you think Linky or the seniors could be in trouble?" The moment her friend mentioned this, Carol made an immediate beeline for the back of the home.

_"Please, be okay; please, be okay...PLEASE, be okay" _she thought desperately, _"if anything happened to Lincoln or the seniors, I may be in hot water!"_ Not too far behind, the rest of the posse was hot on Carol's heels. When they arrived at the back of the building, the gals were met with a startling surprise.

The seniors were out and about, playing shuffleboard; which seemed relatively normal. But among those playing was Lincoln, who was being guided by his own grandfather and Michael. "Now, keep your arms loose but not too much" Albert murmured softly, "ease 'em back nice and easy and then...NOW!"

With that signal; Lincoln moved his arms back, as instructed and pushed his stick up against the puck. It glided along the board for a short while until it stopped within the left seven point line. This caused the group of seniors behind him to erupt in applause.

"Nice job there, Lincoln" Cyrus chuckled, "that brings ya up to...ten points after your last time; which puts ya just two points behind Vivi." Lincoln couldn't help but squeal softly in excitement; not only did he manage to score in a sports game...and not hurt himself or those around him, he was close to gaining the upper hand on the others.

"This is so much fun" Lincoln chuckled merrily, "I only wish my friends were here to join us." No sooner had he said this, the young Loud Boy suddenly heard the call of "well, Linky...be careful what you wish for." Upon hearing this, Lincoln turned towards the sidelines and spotted Carol and her crew; who were all giving him sly glances.

Without a second thought, he placed his shuffleboard stick on the rack and leapt into his friends/guardians arms in an embrace. "So...you having fun here, Lincoln" giggled Whitney, "never took you for a shuffleboard player." With a light blush on his face, the Loud boy giggled shyly and revealed that the seniors helped him with some pointers.

Upon hearing this, the Gals looked on at the group of seniors and smiled. Then, after gently placing Lincoln back on the ground; Carol proceed to hug and kiss Michael lovingly. "Nice of ya to come by and see us, young lady" he chuckled, "how's tricks?"

For the next minute or two, Carol proceeded to talk about her "boring college orientation tour." Not long after that, Dana gave Vivian a loving hug while Becky greeted Gertie with a light bow. The whole time this was going on, Lincoln couldn't help but stare in confusion; something his Pop-Pop couldn't help but notice.

"You look a little spooked there, pal" he chortled, "care to talk about it?" After shaking himself out of his daze; Lincoln confessed that he wasn't scared, only confused. "Do our friends here know the Gals somehow" he whispered, "I mean...they seem awfully chummy."

With that inquiry made, the time had come to let the cat out of the bag (as they say.) "Here's the other surprise I was savin' for ya" Albert whispered slyly, "see...Michael, Gertie and Vivian there...are actually your friends' grandparents." This surprise came as such a shock to Lincoln, his eyes almost popped from his head.

Then, after taking a moment to compare the three Gals to the seniors; he found himself scratching his head. "Okay...I can kinda see the resemblance between Vivi and Dana, mostly in their fashion tastes" he muttered, "but I don't see it in the others." At that moment, Carol ceased chatting with her supposed "grandfather" and directed her gaze towards Lincoln; asking why he was whispering.

"My Pop-Pop just told me Michael is your grandfather" he stated, "but after hearing his life story _and_ playing Chess with him, I don't really see it...no offense." Rather than be insulted by Lincoln's words, Michael only chuckled and confessed that Carol was more like her grandmother than himself. To help prove his words were true, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet.

Upon opening it, Michael showed Lincoln a couple of photos he had inside. Among them was one of Carol as a child, himself in his old military uniform and one of a young lady wearing a sequined dress. "This here is Sadie, my special lady" Michael sighed blissfully, "met her at the USO show before my garrison and I were dispatched to the front lines."

From here, he began to describe how much this Sadie loved to sing and how much she loved wearing fancy clothes out in public. "A love for fashion and pretty to boot...yup, she's Carol's grandmother alright" Lincoln chuckled, "they even have the same hair." Upon hearing him call her _and_ her grandmother pretty, Carol gushed adorably and hugged him tight.

"But what about the others" Lincoln asked while being nuzzled, "neither Becky nor Paige told me their grandmother was a Shaolin Monk trainee." As expected, the aforementioned teenager ruffled her friend's white locks and said "that's because you never asked us about that." "How do you think Paige got so good at dancing, Linc" Gertie giggled, "I taught her everything she knows."

As if sensing the boy's doubt, she smiled slyly and began to perform a series of kicks and steps; which reminded him a great deal of the steps one does while playing Dance Battle. "Wow, that's really cool" Lincoln commented, "and yet...also a little scary." Intrigued by his statement, both Becky and her grandmother asked why Lincoln felt as such about the reveal.

"Well...let me put it this way; I've often been on the receiving end of a girl's anger before, both within and outside of my family" he murmured, "so...if I end up getting Paige angry, I'm worried she might use one of those Shaolin fighting movies on _me._" At first, Lincoln expected to hear a sort of "don't you forget it" from Becky and Gertie as a response. But instead, he looked over and saw them bursting with laughter.

"Buddy, you've got nothing to worry about" Becky assured, "my sis love you to pieces and would never use her moves on you...unless you did something to _really_ cheese her off." Just as Lincoln was about to panic, she gave another laugh and said she was joking again. "My granddaughter loves dancing, not fighting" Gertie assured, "thus, she uses my lessons only for pleasure."

With that settled, Lincoln's gazed turned over to Dana; who had her arm hanging around Vivian's shoulders. It was then that he could see that they both had a love for the color purple. _"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here"_ Lincoln thought, _"just because they like the same color, it doesn't mean that they're related."_

Then, he saw Dana reach into her purse and pull out a thick hardcover book; which she then handed off to Vivian. "Thanks for letting me borrow this, Grammy" she said gratefully, "I almost came close to keeping it for myself, it was so good." Vivian laughed heartily at Dana's statement and said she was more than happy to share the book with her.

"Wait...so, I _was_ right" Lincoln gasped softly, "you two _are_ related!" Dana giggled lightly at her friend/ward, hugged him and apologized for not telling him about Vivi sooner. "She and I are a pair of bookworms, you see...and I usually don't like word getting out about that" she confessed, "people have mocked my love of reading since my Freshman year of High School."

Much to everyone's surprise, Lincoln let out a soft chuckle at this reveal. But before anyone could speak out against him, he explained that it was an ironic laugh. "I mean...you like reading regular books, while Chaz seems to prefer comic books" Lincoln stated, "can you see the irony in this?" After giving the explanation some thought, both ladies soon broke out into light laughter; realizing that Lincoln was right.

Then, all of a sudden; realization hit Lincoln like a blow to the head. "If Dana's your granddaughter, Vivi; I'm guessing Chaz is your grandson" he asked, "or...as you know him, Charlie?" Without missing a beat, Vivi smiled at Lincoln and gave him an on the nose gesture. "Back during Middle School, his mother and I would have to bribe him into reading just _one _book over the summer" she stated, "we told him 'if you read it from cover to cover, you could ask for anything ya like.'"

This bit of info utterly intrigued Lincoln and he begged Vivian to share more with him. But before anything else could be said, Carol suddenly put a halt on their plans. "We'd love to stay and chat, everyone; really" she said respectfully, "but I've gotta get the little man home before his caretakers or parents get worried."

Upon hearing this news, everyone looked over at the clock and saw that it was almost 4 PM. Of course, this realization was met with some sounds of displeasure; both from the seniors _and_ Lincoln. But then, Carol and her crew told them this wouldn't be the last they'd see of Linc.

"Since he has no projects to work on or school work to do, I couldn't think of any other way he'd like to spend his holiday break" she decreed, "all I'd need to do is get the "OK" from his mom." Naturally, this news left everyone feeling quite overjoyed; especially Lincoln. "You're the best, Carol" he said while giving her a hug, "hey...maybe we could bring the other Gal Pals here tomorrow morning or in the afternoon for a bit."

This idea seemed to please both sides and, after getting the approval from the Gibbons Siblings, it seemed official.

(Line Break)

"See ya and the Gals tomorrow, sonny" Michael said while shaking Lincoln's hand in goodbye, "I'm itchin' for a rematch at the Chess board." The young Loud boy smiled confidently at him and declared that next time, he would be a bit more prepared. After this, he made his way over to the ladies; who proceeded to envelop him in a large group hug.

"You and your friends have a safe trip home, honey; you hear" Myrtle said with a giggle, "I can't wait until your next visit." As Vivian and Gertie sounded off in agreement, the later asked Lincoln if he'd be open for some Tai Chi lessons during one of his future visits. "That sounds great" he answered with glee, "Dr. Lopez said I should try out any kind of relaxation techniques I could find."

After this, Lincoln said his goodbyes to Roscoe; who proceeded to give him a firm grip of a handshake. "See ya next time, kid" Roscoe said with a chuckle, "and keep a good eye on my granddaughter, if things get hairy." After getting the feeling back in his hand; Lincoln assured him that he'd do his best, even though he wasn't much of a fighter.

Then, just as he was about to turn his head; Lincoln's vision was suddenly assaulted by a blinding flash. When his vision cleared up enough, he spotted Cyrus holding a camera in front of him and cackling softly. "Sorry about that, sonny" he said apologetically, "I just wanted to get a quick picture of ya to immortalize this moment."

No sooner had he said this, a small picture slid out of the slot beneath his camera. Once the image showed up, it featured Lincoln giving off the silliest surprised expression ever; which caused everyone (even him) to laugh. "Before I go, Cy; I've been meaning to say something" he murmured, "your love of photography reminds me a lot of one of our fellow Gal Pals...I'm curious if you might know her."

This inquiry caused a light yet sly grin to appear on Cyrus' face. Then, he went for the photo album he had earlier and brought out one of the pictures inside; the one featuring the little girl. "Is _this_ her, by any chance" he asked coyly, "I still can't believe how much she's grown since this was taken."

Before Lincoln could offer up a reply, the Gals behind him looked at the photo and cried "AWWW! Phoebe looked so cute when she was little." The moment this reveal was made, Lincoln's outward appearance went still. But on the inside, his skull echoed loudly as his brain continuously cried out "I KNEW IT!"

"Wait...are you ladies sure this is Phoebe" Lincoln asked the Gals, "how do you know what she looked like as a kid?" In response to this, Carol and Co. only offered up three simple words; "School Picture Day." "Long story short, Feebs once showed us one of her old grade school pics" Becky explained, "one that featured her hair having a _serious_ frizz.

Upon hearing this, Cyrus reached into his wallet and pulled out that very photo. When Lincoln got a look at it, he did everything he could not to laugh (on the outside.) Her freckles from childhood weren't visible anymore, she appeared taller than much of her class and (just as the others mentioned) she had a head of frizzy hair. After taking a moment to push down his laughter and clear his throat, Lincoln only said one thing; "I guess this is why she wears a ponytail now."

"I'd really like to know more about how you came to know my Phoebe, young man" Cyrus stated, "maybe we can share stories over some hot cocoa with cinnamon tomorrow?" After giving his lips a lick, Lincoln nodded his head and said "it's a deal." With that settled and after giving one final goodbye, Lincoln hurried inside of Carol's van."

"Thanks for coming to pick me up, by the way _and_ for hanging with me and my new friends" he said gratefully, "however...you guys never told me your grandparents were soldiers or wartime photographers or...whatever." For the second time that afternoon, the Gals giggled softly and playfully proclaimed, "you never asked us about that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that" Lincoln murmured, "but hey, I think I've got an idea on who Roscoe's grandchild might be." While still keeping her eyes ahead, Carol asked whom Lincoln had in mind. "To tell you the truth, I can't really decide" he confessed, "the big clue Roscoe told me was that his granddaughter fussed about her hair a lot...but that could be any one of you."

At first, the three Gals almost felt offended by his comment; until they realized that Lincoln raised a good point. "The only other thing is that Roscoe said his granddaughter hopes to become as tough as him or Rip Hardcore, one day" he explained, "but other than me, I can't recall anyone else that likes him." Rather than tell him outright, the Gals giggle softly and decide to try and make him guess.

"We'll give you a hint, Linky" Dana murmured playfully, "the girl Roscoe mentioned is someone you know, she _does_ fuss about her hair like me and Whit do...and has a bit of a secret wild side to her; one she seldom lets out." Upon hearing mention of the words "wild side;" realization had, once again hit Lincoln like a blow to the head. Then, he took out his phone, and brought up the Caller ID photo of Kat.

After staring at this photo for what felt like ages; Lincoln shook his head, turned off his phone and stored it away. "You don't think _she's _the granddaughter Roscoe was talking about; do you, guys" he asked the viewer in a dumbfounded tone, "well...if it's true, it's certainly not the _first_ time I'll have been surprised today."

(First AN: I became inspired to make this oneshot due to two separate things. The first one being the Recess episode entitled "Old Folks Home." As for the second; after meeting Stella's Nana/Granny in the original Gal Pals and having Haiku's Nana be introduced in the Rascally Rennies multi-part oneshot, I felt it was time for Lincoln to meet the grandparents of some of the other Gals.

Of course, each of the seniors mentioned here are all my own creations; considering how the show has yet to officially introduce the Gals' families into the show. Regardless, I hope I did well enough here and that you'll enjoy reading this. Coming up next is the Fall Arc finale and while I can't spoil on what it's about, I promise you...it'll be a scream)

(Second AN: While not done so within the original series; as some fans pointed out, Nurse Ruth expelling seniors from the home _is_ considered illegal action. Ergo, I wanted to implement such circumstances here while also leaving the seniors in the hands of more balanced caregivers; i.e. the Gibbons Siblings)

(Third AN: While I'm aware that not every senior has a history with the military, I wanted to give the likes of Carol and Kat's grandfather's such a background to provide a sense of irony. Imagine finding out such feminine and dainty ladies like them had grandparents that once served on the front lines. I also wanted to chose the right time periods for Michael and Roscoe to be involved in such work.

What I mean is I wanted the timeframe to be logical to how old the characters are within the original series. I hope that makes sense to you, everyone)

(Fourth AN: In regards to Cyrus' career; while not mentioned in the story, I wanted it to give off the vibe that he is the reason Phoebe developed her passion/love for photography. But I imagine none of _us_ wants to see her recording actual war games, am I right)

(Last AN: For those thinking that it's impossible for someone like Paige to be related to Gertie; who once trained with the Shaolin...look at it this way. A lot of martial artists would use their fighting/choreography skills for the stage and/or theater and vice-versa. A prime example of this Jackie Chan, who was part of the Peking Opera School years before he became the film star he is today)


	14. Halloween Hilarity - Part One

Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals – Part One

(Story Summary: It's Halloween down in Royal Woods and everyone's getting ready for some deliciously creepy fun, especially our favorite friend group. But when the Loud Family discovers that Lucy, their best theme planner for the season, has fallen ill; all hope falls upon Lincoln and his own brand of creativity to make the best Halloween get-together ever. However, Lincoln soon realizes that he doesn't quite have the knack for creating scary ambiance the way Lucy does.

To do the celebration proper justice, he decides to seek help from some pen pals; individuals whom Lincoln claims to have known through e-mail, video chat and/or letters long before he befriended the Gal Pals. Who are these friends of Lincoln's, what are they like, will they be able to help everyone in their time of need and most of all; how will the Gals take this news? Be prepared for some laughs, some singing and maybe a few chills; as Lincoln prepares Royal Woods for Halloween Night.)

(Disclaimer: Not only do I not own any of the Loud House characters, I do not own any of the guest characters who will appear in this story. All ownership for the former lies with Nickelodeon and Chris Savino, while the latter is owned by Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera; so...please, don't sue me.)

The atmosphere over Royal Woods had taken a dark turn, as the month of October slowly rolled in. The skies were cloudy, the air held a mildly bitter chill, the trees had lost most of their beautiful leaves and now appeared sickly barren and the there was and if one were to listen closely; they could hear the sounds of "the children of the night" echoing through the air. Was this all a sign of evil times to come, has the town been ravaged by some sort of curse?

Nope, not in the slightest; these were only signs that the fall season was officially here. More than that; all through the town, families everywhere had outfitted themselves and their homes in creepy décor/attire. All these signs pointed to one simple truth, Halloween was on its way and Royal Woods was excited for it.

But of all its citizens, one particular individual always looked forward to All Hallows Eve the most; Lucy Loud of the Loud Family. As a Goth; to her, Halloween was like _her_ version of Christmas. Though she loved showing off her interest in the macabre every other day of the year, Halloween was the one night where she could _really _show her stuff and her family loved it (with the exception of Lynn Sr.)

Unfortunately for Royal Woods; _this_ Halloween, their resident Mistress of the Night would suddenly find herself...indisposed. As the camera cuts over to the Loud House; the viewer discovers that the entire house is devoid of all creepy décor; unlike those next door to it. There were no Jack-O'-Lanterns on the porch, no cobwebs hanging off the windows, no skeletons dangling from the patio; there weren't even headstones on the yard (that is to say, plastic ones.)

Then, at that moment; the viewer hears a soft yet still quite powerful sneeze from inside the house. One quick-cut later and we find Lucy; lying in one of her coffins, huddled beneath a blanket and sniffling loudly. After taking a moment to blow her nose, a doctor is seen placing an electric thermometer into her mouth.

Originally; when she came to learn of her elder sister falling ill, Lisa had every intention to either check her temperature and/or cure Lucy herself. But then, she remembered _her_ part of the court order from the trial last Spring. After being found guilty along with her family, she was now forbidden to practice any of her extreme scientific practices; unless directly called upon by a member of the townsfolk, the authorities or the local government.

This left the family with no other choice but to do something they haven't done in years...call a professional doctor. Normally, doctors seldom made house calls and expected their patients to come into their offices for checkups. But Lisa claimed that due to the long waiting periods within the waiting room; if Lucy was left exposed by other sick patients for too long, her condition may "worsen overtime."

So, in the end; the local pediatrician decided to come and check on Lucy at the Loud home directly. At first, he felt rather nervous about doing just that, considering what had transpired last year. But after hearing the tearful insistence of Mrs. Loud's wishes, he decided to swallow his fear and do his job.

This brings us to the story's present situation; after waiting for about a minute, the thermometer beeped and the doctor took a peek at the temperature reading. "Oh, this is not good" he muttered softly, "101 degrees...hmm" the doctor murmured softly, "not too high of a fever to be worried about but still." Outside of Lucy's door, the rest of the Loud Family stood in the hall; anxious yet nervous to learn about Lucy's condition.

"Humph...if _I _were doing the procedure, it would be over within seconds" Lisa grumbled with disdain, "but _no, _those fools at city hall seem to think that my methods are 'unethical.'" The rest of the family rolled their eyes in silence, mentally contradicting her statement. _"This coming from a toddler who used to harvest the family's organs" _Lincoln thought,_ "I'm just thankful that I don't need my appendix that much.."_

Meanwhile, the rest of the family informed Lisa that while she _was_ knowledgeable in medical sciences; it was better to have experienced professionals attend to the family's health. In time, the doctor completed his checkup and approached Mr. and Mrs. Loud. "You're daughter is going to be fine" he assured, "it's just a fever; after a few days rest and care, she will be right as rainbows."

While the rest of the family heaved a sigh of relief at this news, Lucy found herself grimacing and groaning with displeasure. Mind you, it wasn't because of the doctor's "right as rainbows" comment (even though she wasn't quite fond of them.) Rather, she was upset with having to be bedridden for several days.

"But...B-B-But...I can't be sick, I just can't" she exclaimed with a stuffy voice, "it's almost Halloween Night and I haven't started helping the family with preparations yet." To a degree, the doctor _did _feel as equally displeased with the news as his patient did. Over the past year or so, his children always loved coming over to the Loud House and being delightfully scared by all the décor.

But as a medical professional, he had to put his feelings aside and stick to his guns. At the same time, the family themselves could be seen shaking their heads in disappointment at Lucy. "I told you not to go to that poetry reading at the park the day before" Lincoln said disappointedly, "the weatherman called for rain that day...but you were so insistent towards Mom and Dad."

In an attempt to defend herself, Lucy proclaimed that while she proclaimed that she didn't expect the light rainfall to suddenly get stronger. "I mean...I...(ACHOO) I had my hooded cape _and_ grey jacket on" she said firmly yet weakly, "doesn't that count for _something?_" While the family _did_ applaud her for going to her reading somewhat prepared, they proclaimed that the gear she wore still wasn't enough to protect her.

"This is just fantastic" Lucy groaned sarcastically, "now, who's going to take charge of the Halloween preparations?!" As expected, Rita put on her "Mom Face" and told Lucy that holiday prepping wasn't important right now. "At the moment, all that matters is that you get some rest and recover" she said firmly yet sweetly, "we'll figure out what to do for Halloween later."

After that, Rita and the doctor began to have a private discussion regarding Lucy's recovery process; leaving the Lincoln and his remaining sisters outside in the hall to process everything. "Talk about bogus timing, guys" Luna sighed in defeat, "Lucy always makes Halloween the biggest holiday of the year for the neighborhood and now...she's been benched!" The others couldn't help but agree; without their resident Black Bird of Creepiness, this Halloween may become just another dull night in Fall.

However, one of them didn't feel all that displeased with this development. For as long as the girls and Lincoln could remember, their father seemed to hate Halloween (as well as anything horror related.) Every year around this time; he would hide, scream in terror or even cry out loudly at the sight of anything he found "terrifying."

Sometimes, this fear was understandable; especially whenever kids came around dressed as Freddy Kruger or The Harvester. Other times however, were (in the eyes of his wife and daughters) absolutely sad; such as anytime he spots a child dressed as a skeleton (with a paper plate mask no less.) But due to this sudden development, Lynn felt as though he was safe now.

_"Looks like I'm in the clear this Halloween"_ he thought to himself, _"maybe I'll be able to enjoy my Mick Swagger music in my room in peace."_ Then, just as he was about to slip into a 60's British Rock daydream; Lynn was suddenly brought back to his senses by his daughter's coughing. Without pause, everyone rushed back into the room and over to Lucy's bedside; who looked even paler than usual.

"Can we get you anything, Sis" Luna asked with concern, "some water, an extra blanket...do you want Fangs to stand next to ya for company?" The wee Goth shook her head weakly, looked up towards her siblings and proclaimed the situation is far direr than they knew. "Take a look over at my writing desk" she mumbled weakly, "there is a piece of paper that will explain everything."

With a confused look on both their faces, Rita and Lynn Sr. picked up the aforementioned paper and read it closely. It was an advertisement designed by Mayor Davis' team at City Hall, one that spoke about a contest of some kind. "According to this; whoever wins receives a $5,000, a trophy and a chance to throw a party for the town" Rita explained, "but the prize only goes to whoever puts on the best Halloween theme for their home."

Naturally, the other nine Loud Sisters beamed with excitement at the prospect of winning a cash prize. But then, when they saw the distressed look on Lucy's face; their joy faded away. "Normally, I would never use my skills for something like this" she murmured, "but I thought that if I win, I could split a little bit of the money between us...somehow."

The family felt touched by Lucy's words and thanked her for thinking about them. At the same time, though; they insisted that her health and well-being was far more important than any contest or holiday. "Someone else will just have to take your place, that's all" Lynn Sr. stated, "I'm sure your brother and sisters won't mind."

Before either he or Rita said another word, the other Loud Kids erupted into a light cacophony of agreement. "Seeing as how I cannot aid my sister in healing her, the least I can do is help in her All Hallows Eve endeavors" Lisa muttered, "I simply hope this won't cut into my Trick R' Treating schedule." Both Lucy and her parents felt proud that the rest of their family was so willing to help out and thanked them wholeheartedly for lending a hand.

"You just rest your little head, Lucy" Leni encouraged sweetly, "I'm sure we'll be able think of something spooky to do for Halloween without you."

(Line Break)

A moment later, everyone gathered inside of Lori's room for an "Emergency Sibling Meeting." Once assembled, everyone put their heads together in trying to think up the perfect Halloween theme for their home. But alas, all the "scary ideas" they thought up were either incredibly weak or (for cases like Lynn Jr. and Lana) too gross.

"Focus, people; this isn't just about the prize, you know" Lori said firmly, "we promised we'd do Lucy proud by putting on this Halloween and by gosh, we will do just that!" While everyone _did _side with Lori in her enthusiasm, they were still at a loss. "But how do you propose we do that, dear Sister" questioned Lisa, "Leni's 'Horrors of Tacky Clothing' is lackluster, Lynn's Zombocalypse idea (while creative) would leave far too many children emotionally scarred and everyone seems to think my 'Horrors of Ancient Plagues' concept is 'boring.'"

Just as the family was ready to make a comment, Lori swiftly slammed her shoe against the table; calling for order. "Hey, you know what" Luan chimed in, "Lincoln hasn't said anything yet and _he's _a pretty creative guy." Upon hearing this; the boy in question said that while he was flattered by his sister's kind words, he was just as lost as everyone else.

"I may be the 'man with the plan,' on occasion" he confessed dejectedly, "but when it comes to creative ideas; mine are mostly superhero, ghost hunting or slightly magic oriented." Before Lincoln could say anything else, Lynn suddenly interjected and told him that she not only pitched the idea to Lucy through a text message...but she agreed to it. "What the...even _she_ wants me to do this" Lincoln exclaimed, "but I don't know squat about horror!"

Before anyone could make a comment, Lynn's phone suddenly chimed and she saw that it was Lucy calling her. Upon answering, everyone could see that she was still lying in bed; while their parents held up her phone in front of her. _"Are we on yet" _she asked hoarsely on the screen, _"I need to make sure he can see me, since we can't get too close right now."_

After hearing her parents' murmurs of affirmation, Lucy swiped some mucus away with her sleeve and reached up for her bangs. Before anyone could speak up, she moved them away slightly; revealing a sickly yet pleading look in her eyes. Now, no one had ever seen Lucy's eyes beneath her bangs before; inside or outside of the family.

Truthfully, the only reason her bangs covered her eyes was so the parents wouldn't live in fear of her staring mindlessly at them. Since then, she seldom ever showed her eyes to anyone; unless it was for a serious reason. Considering the current circumstances, now felt like one of those times.

_"So sorry to disrupt the meeting, everybody" _Lucy murmured, _"but these walls are so thin, I could hear you from all the way over here." _The girls and Lincoln chuckled sheepishly in realization at this and immediately apologized for disturbing her sleep. "It's okay, everybody...no harm done" Lucy said with a light smile, "more to the point; Lincoln, I really think you _can _prep everything for Halloween."

From here, she further insisted her faith in her brother's abilities by referencing how much he helped with her poetry and how his ideas would help lead his friends and family to success...most of the time. _"Do it for me, Big Brother" _Lucy pleaded hoarsely, _"you _can _do this...I believe in you."_ Hearing his sister's statement left Lincoln feeling quite surprised, mostly because her words of "I believe in you" made her sound like a character from one of Lola's fairy tales.

"She must be feeling pretty delirious" Lincoln murmured to the viewer, "but...I can't deny her wishes during her hour of need." With this in mind, he turned towards Lucy's image on the phone screen and asked if she truly _did _think he could do her job. _"It's true; while you have a fascination for ghost hunting, you aren't quite as well-versed in horror as I am" _Lucy murmured bluntly, _"but...you _are _one of the most creative people I know."_

Before deciding to lie down for a nap, she decided to offer up one final piece of advice to Lincoln. _"All you have to do is make something that best represents what Halloween is all about"_ she explained_, "whether or not you know much about horror stuff, capturing the holiday's spirit is what truly matters."_ With that said; Lucy gave a prodigious yawn, placed her head gently atop her pillow and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

After that, Lynn Sr. and Rita quietly stepped out of the room and walked down to the living room; all while keeping the phone on. _"It's like Lucy said, Lincoln; you've got a really creative imagination" _Rita said with pride, _"we know you can do this...and if you need help, just ask us."_ With that said, both the phone call and the Sibling Meeting came to an end; allowing everyone to return to their usual business/quarters.

As Lincoln made his way back to his own bedroom, the brave face he had on to help cheer up Lucy instantly shifted into a look of fear. Then, once he was inside his room; he locked the door and began to pace around frantically. "Dang it, dang it, dang it...what have I gotten myself into here" he murmured worriedly, "I don't want to let Lucy down...but I really don't know how to put up a Halloween themed anything!"

Upon realizing that he was moments away from a panic attack, Lincoln stood still for a moment and practiced some deep breathing exercises. After about half a minute, they seemed to have done the trick and Lincoln's mind was now much calmer. _"Thank you and Gertie for your relaxation tips"_ he thought to himself with a sigh, "now, then...gotta figure out what to do for the big night."

For almost ten minutes, Lincoln paced about his small room; racking his brain to the point of burning out for ideas. But each one he came up with either seemed too tame or had already been done during previous Halloween nights. These included a "Bobbing for Poison Apples" tub (which would actually be regular sour tasting Granny Smith apples from Liam's farm,) dressing up the pets as scary creatures and even coating the treats basket in Lucy's fake blood.

But in the end, they all had the same feel about them; they just didn't quite reflect what Halloween was all about, as Lucy put it. "What does she mean by that, exactly" Lincoln murmured, "I always thought the spirit of Halloween was the candy, costumes, the parties...or some mixture of the three." Overtime, Lincoln worked his brain so hared that he almost passed out from over-thinking.

Just as he was about to doze off from the stress, his laptop suddenly started chiming; causing him to sit up in alarm. Feeling concerned, Lincoln opened it up and...he saw the chat icon flashing softly. Upon clicking on it and bringing up the list of names within the memory bank, Lincoln saw Carol's icon flashing softly.

At first, he didn't feel quite in the mood to speak with his friend/head legal guardian due to his current state. But then, he thought speaking with her might take his mind off of things for a short while and clicked on the icon. Within seconds, a small window appeared on the screen showing Carol in her room.

However, the moment the screen turned on; something seemed...different with her. Carol was dressed in a blood-red dress, a matching corset, had a pair of sleeves that looked like spider webs and while her hairstyle remained unchanged; it showed off a mix of red and black colors, instead of her natural blonde. While this new look _was_ indeed, delightfully macabre; Carol most noticeable feature was the pointed fangs that stuck out beneath her lips.

She stared silently at Lincoln for a moment, gave a light yet wry smile and murmured a soft "hello." "Whoa...Carol, is _that_ your costume" gushed Lincoln, "you look great!" The compliment caused the former high schooler to blush shyly, causing her earlier demeanor to soften immediately.

"Thanks a bunch, Linky" she cooed softly while blowing him a kiss, "and don't worry about the hair, this dye washes off...just pray it doesn't rain before the fun begins." Upon hearing mention of the word "fun," Lincoln's own demeanor suddenly turned sour and he plonked himself hard atop his bed with a weary groan. Naturally, this behavior filled Carol with great concern and she quickly asked if he was okay.

"Oh...I'm fine" Lincoln groaned sarcastically, "between my sister getting sick, us being without a proper planner and Halloween night on the approach; I'm just peachy!" All was silent after the comment was made, save for the sounds of sneezing going off outside his door. In time, Lincoln realized what he had said and began bowing his head frantically at his laptop; all while repeatedly saying "sorry" to Carol.

"Easy, pal; easy" she hushed soothingly, "you're gonna stress yourself, if you keep talking like that." With that said, the two shared a quick deep breathing moment together and Carol quickly saw Lincoln's expression softening with every exhale. In time, he had managed to calm himself down enough to speak again.

"Sorry about all that, Carol" Lincoln murmured regretfully, "I just...I've got some stuff on my mind right now." The teen nodded slightly in understanding, recalling the boy's earlier words about his sister being ill and his family being "left without a planner." "Remind me again, pal" Carol inquired, "every year, you guys rely on Lucy to style up your house for Halloween?"

When Lincoln nodded in response, she couldn't help but say that such responsibility for an eight year old girl. "Quite the contrary, Lucy _lives _for it" Lincoln said with great pride, "it's the one night a year where she can be herself; if ya know what I mean." Carol couldn't help but giggle a little; thinking that their fellow Gal Pal, Haiku probably felt the same way.

"It seems, though that the Loud House might not be showing it's Halloween colors this year" Lincoln sighed, "she's sick and has to remain on bed rest for who knows how long." From here, he asked Carol if she knew about the Halloween decoration contest the mayor was advertising.

"I think I do" she murmured, "to tell you the truth, having a party for the whole town would be an _epic_ way to celebrate Halloween!" At first, Carol half-expected her young BFF to side with her in her excitement. But instead, she saw only a tired look on his face; one that made her think of...the "bad times."

"Sweetie, is there something wrong" she asked with concern, "are you worried for your sister...or is it something else?" Without hesitation; Lincoln revealed that due to Lucy falling ill, everyone voted _him_ to be her replacement planner. "Pair this up with my sisters hoping we'll win the contest and you can see why I'm so...frazzled" Lincoln murmured, "for lack of better words."

With a soft smile on her face, Carol proclaimed that Lincoln's brand of creativity and imagination would be just what the family needs to help prep for the big night. "But that's the problem here, don't you see" cried the young Loud boy in distress, "I only have specific brands of creativity...none of which are horror related!" With this statement, Lincoln went on to say how much he feared letting his family down.

Things had been going relatively well between him and his sisters since Summer Break ended and he was afraid of losing that. "This _is_ huge" murmured Carol, "we need to bring everyone up to speed on the issue." Just as Lincoln was about to ask her to reconsider, he watched as his friend/guardian started clicking her mouse rapidly.

The reason for this being was that upon opening _her_ video chat call list, Carol clicked on two separate icons; one that read "EMERGENCY" in bold letters and another that showed the words "Gal Pal Group Call." Upon doing this, the web chat feed did its usual call tune (one similar to what Skype uses) for several seconds until several windows started showing up on screen. On each of these screens were a few of the Gal Pals; some in Royal Woods, others residing farther away.

The moment all their faces appeared, Lincoln could see that everyone was either midway through or fully dressed in their Halloween costumes. Some (specifically Becky and Dana) followed Carol's example and dressed themselves as female vampires while the others had different ideas. Jordon and Kat looked like a pair of werewolves but with different "fur" colors, Stella was dressed as a Zombie, Cici looked like a sort of fish creature (like the Gill-Man from the Black Lagoon) and Phoebe was dressed as either another form of vampire or some sort of demon with bulging red eyes.

These were but a few of the unique looks they showed off, some fully dressed and some not. In any case, Lincoln thought they all looked great. As everyone greeted one another in the usual fashion, Ronnie Anne looked over at Lincoln and saw the distressed look on his face.

"Jeez Louise, dude" she murmured with shock, "you look like you've just sat through a Harvester movie marathon." While he couldn't help but chuckle a little at his former classmate's joke, Lincoln confessed that his dilemma was far worse than monster movie nightmares. "What's wrong, Linky" Dana cooed softly with concern, "did Luan get you with some sort of Halloween themed prank?"

Lincoln shook his head frantically, in response and assured everyone such a thing hasn't happened...yet. "According to what I've heard, Luan's saving her jumpscare pranks for the big night" he explained, "at least, that's what Miss Simmons told me." He then went on to explain that said Halloween gags, pranks and scares were not allowed to go any bigger than "Bed-Wetter Levels."

"I'm afraid the lil' man's troubles are bigger than that, everybody" Carol stated, "seems his sister, Lucy is sick and can't fulfill her duties as theme planner for the house this year." Upon hearing this news; Haiku, who was dressed in her typical attire, sighed and proclaimed that it was Lucy's own fault this happened. "Though the rainfall _did_ provide exquisite ambience for our reading, it wasn't suitable weather for being outdoors" she murmured, "for background imagery when you're inside, yes...but nothing else."

To top everything of, Lincoln announced that his family named _him_ the planner for this year's festivities. But just as he told them and Carol, he wasn't as versed in all things horror the way Lucy was. "I would do anything to lend a hand, Lincoln, truly" Haiku stated, "but my colleagues at the Junior Morticians Club and I have already been tasked with decorating the school."

Lincoln nodded slowly in understanding, knowing that such a job would take several days to accomplish. With this in mind, he turned towards the other Gals; hoping that one or more of _them_ would provide some sort of advice or assistance. "Love to help, lil dude...but I'm just as clueless about horror as you are" Phoebe confessed, "I mean...I _LOVE_ Halloween but mostly for the horror marathons, parties and candy."

At that moment, Lincoln suddenly threw his hands into the air while repeatedly crying out "THANK YOU...THANK YOU!" "This is _exactly_ what I told my family" he groaned in dismay, "and yet, they're all so sure I can do the job...but I really don't think I can." With that, he plopped down face first atop his pillow and groaned loudly in dismay.

After hearing and seeing everything for themselves, the Gal Pals had a full understanding of Lincoln's dilemma and wished they could do something to help him. "If I may make a suggestion here" Cristina chimed in suddenly, "Lincoln, do you have any other friends who are as...versed in horror themes as your sister in town." With a weary sigh, the poor lad proclaimed that the only people who have such skills are Lucy and her fellow Goths.

But due to current circumstances, Lincoln truly felt up a creek without a paddle. Then, all of a sudden; realization struck him like a dodge ball to the face. "I just got an idea" Lincoln cried out, "Jordan...do you remember when Principal Huggins suggested we try out the Pen Pal Program last Fall?"

For a moment or so, Jordan scratched at her head; looking deep into her mind for any sign of the memory Lincoln spoke of. When it finally came to her, she nodded and asked how it involved their current situation. "Okay...what I'm about to tell you ladies may seem surprising" Lincoln said hesitantly, "but we all became close, I had...that is to say...THEREWASANOTHERGROUPOFGALPALSIKNEWBEFOREYOUGUYS!"

As expected; Lincoln blurted out the last part so fast, no one could understand what he said. "Could you repeat that, Linc" inquired Whitney, "you sounded like you were mumbling." For a brief moment, Lincoln hesitated; fearing how his lady friends would react once he told them the news. But then, he realized there was no point in lying or hiding the truth from them.

"Okay...before I begin, promise me that you won't get mad" he said suddenly, "please?" After shaking off the feeling of déjà vu from his words, the Gal Pals nodded slowly and urged Lincoln to continue. "Okay...Mind you, this was before we all became such close friends" he explained, "but before all that business happened between me, my sisters, the Protocol and such happened; there was...someone else I confided in."

Quite understandably, the Gals still felt a little confused by his words and asked him to further elaborate on them. "See...I signed up for the Pen Pal Program because I needed someone to talk to" Lincoln stated, "anyone that my sisters wouldn't be able to find and harass them into confessing what I told them." The Gals murmured softly in understanding and urged him to continue.

"Okay...so, a lot of the places I wanted to seek out pen pals from were going fast pretty quickly" Lincoln said with an ironic chuckle, "the U.K. Canada, Mexico...even close places like Great Lakes City were being filled up." Upon hearing this, Ronnie Anne playfully scoffed; reminding her BFF that they already talk to one another _and _visit one another on occasion already. "I'm aware of that, Ronnie Anne" Lincoln groaned with slight exasperation, "I was just...I was running dry on choices, at the time!"

Sensing that the climax was approaching, everyone asked him what choice he ended up going with in the end. "It was a relatively secluded place, one that people rarely seemed to visit" Lincoln murmured, "heard some teen and his dogs paid a visit there, long ago...but haven't gone back again." Their collective curiosities growing ever higher, the Gals begged Lincoln to tell us what the school was."

"Okay, okay...easy" he said with a light chuckle, "sorry for stalling, I just...I'm worried you may either freak out or not believe what I will tell you." This statement caused the Gals to gasp in shock, as if he had offended them in some way. "Lincoln Albert Loud, how could you say all that" Carol said firmly while putting emphasis on his full name, "have you forgotten all that we've been through together this year?"

Not long after this, Jordan tagged in; proclaiming that nothing could surprise or freak them out, after everything they've faced that year alone. "In short, Linc; whatever you have to say, lay it on us" Kat said with a coy smile, "we can handle it." After this, all the Gals sat patiently; waiting for Lincoln to let the cat out of the bag.

Finally, after letting out a deep breath; he told them everything. To start things off, Lincoln confessed that the current group they had weren't the only "Gal Pals" he had. "WHAT? What did you say" Dana shouted, "you had other female friends before us...this feels like cheating, somehow!" Upon seeing her bestie in such a state, Whitney facepalmed herself and shook her head in embarrassment; mentally calling Dana a drama queen.

"Let me explain, please" Lincoln cried out defensively, "I had no idea that my pen pals would be girls...but after meeting them, we just...clicked." While still feeling a small twinge of jealousy within her, Carol gave her charge a raised eyebrow expression and asked to learn more about this "secondary Gal Pal" group. "Okay...to start things off; it's like I said, I didn't know my pen pals would be girls" Lincoln explained, "the only thing Principal Huggins told me was that the place was a finishing school."

The moment they heard the words "Finishing School," the Gals became even more uneasy. To them, those kind of places were only known for one thing; for turning teenaged girls into snooty, hoity-toity types. "Dude...no disrespect meant" Ronnie Anne began, "but why on Earth would you want to be pen pals with a bunch of snobs?"

Much to everyone's surprise, Lincoln said nothing; he only offered up a sly grin as if to say "I know something you don't." "That's not important right now" he insisted, "what _is_ important is that both my pen pals and even their teacher might be just what I need to help make this Halloween scream!" In that moment, the Gals didn't know which felt more concerning; the fact that Lincoln thought a group of _finishing school_ kids and their teacher could help him or the crazed look on his face."

"Oh...Okay, then" Carol murmured uneasily, "if you really think these people are _that_ good, call them up." The other Gals, while still feeling a smidge uneasy, echoed the same reply; asking if he'd share this school's e-mail with any of them. "Oh...we may have a problem there" Lincoln said with a sheepish chuckle, "see, the school is...rather low-grade, in terms of technology."

Before anyone even asked; he revealed that on his first letter response from his pen pals, they provided a rather odd description of their school (at least, odd too Lincoln.) To provide proof that their words were legit, these pen pals also sent Lincoln a picture of their school; which he showed off to the Gals. When they took a look at the image, they instantly recoiled in alarm.

From the fence with chips in the cement, the creepy gargoyles, the dead trees in the yard, the old looking gat right up to how bleak the building itself looked; they saw the place as more of a prison than a "school." But perhaps, the most "interesting" thing they noticed was the sign beside the gate; which read "Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Ghouls." "Okay...Linc, is this some kind of joke your sister played on you" questioned Cici, "this place looks more like a haunted house than a school."

In response to this; Lincoln offered up a soft chuckle before saying that _he_ thought the same thing, when he first saw the picture. "But I promise you, this place _is_ real" he said matter-of-factly, "same thing with the students...who are a mix of weird yet cool." Haiku smiled softly at this description and proclaimed that she liked "weird and cool" people, which was why she became part of the crew in the first place.

"Okay, Linc; if you say these people can help you out, we'll trust you" Becky murmured uneasily, "however...if and _when_ they come to help set everything up, we're coming by to make sure they're all on the up and up." To seal the deal; she sounded off the phrase "all in favor, say Gal Pals" and practically all of them did just that. "Okay...I can understand most of you doing that" Lincoln muttered, "but what about _you_, Ronnie Anne; how will you be able to come?"

As if on cue; Ronnie Anne's bedroom door burst open and in came her mother, aunt, cousin and grandmother. "We will help her out" Carlotta decreed, "us Gal Pals gotta stick together, right?" Both the other gals and her own family members sounded off in agreement, which caused Lincoln's heart to swell a little.

Just then, he heard a light tap up against his bedroom door; which caused everyone to fall silent. "Mind keeping your conversation down a little, honey" Rita's voice sounded off on the other side, "Lucy's just fallen back asleep and we don't want to wake her." Feeling curious, she poked her head in the room and saw that Lincoln was on his computer with his Gal Pals friends.

She also caught sight of a few of the Casagrandes as well, which made her smile even brighter. "So sorry for the disturbance, Mrs. Loud" Stella murmured apologetically, "Lincoln was just informing us of your situation...as well as sharing an idea of who could help him out with everything." One brief explanation later, the smile on Mrs. Loud's face grew even wider and she happily embraced her son.

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart" she stated, "I just hope your friends or their teacher won't mind lending a hand." Lincoln shook his head in reply and said that this time of year was always big for everyone at Grimwood's. "All I need to do is give them a call" he murmured, "I just hope it will reach them."

With that said, Lincoln drew out his cellphone and began to speedily type away the numbers with his thumbs. Then, after pressing "call" he eased himself back and waited for an answer.

(Line Break)

As we briefly leave the Loud House behind for now, the scene changes to the location of Grimwood's Finishing School. Located somewhere possibly within the American Midwest, this school was very much like what the Gal Pals presumed; a place where young ladies are shaped into "functioning members of society." But much like many things in this world, there was far more to this school than one would realize.

In a dingy yet semi-fancy room of the school; the Headmistress, Miss Agatha Grimwood, was working on some paperwork at her desk. "Oh, there's much to be done before Halloween" she murmured to herself, "but...I truly wish I could do something different for my girls this year." No sooner had she said this, her phone (which looked like an antique French phone) started ringing softly.

"Oh, my...who could be calling me at this time" questioned Ms. Grimwood, "perhaps it's about my _Better Tombs and Mausoleums_ subscription." Not wishing to keep the caller waiting, she picked up the phone and answered with a soft hello. _"Uh...Hello, Ms. Grimwood; it's me, Lincoln Loud"_ a voice said on the line, _"one of your students and I have been pen pals for about a year or so?"_

Upon hearing the boy's name, Ms. Grimwood suddenly gasped with delight and clapped her hands. "Ah, yes; I remember you" she exclaimed, "it's been a while since your last parcel was sent here...Tanis has been quite worried." Lincoln's voice gulped nervously, on the other end; indicating that he was quite alarmed by this reveal.

_"Oh...Dang it, that's right"_ he murmured, _"that was during all the craziness I was putting up with at home...you probably might've heard about it."_ After taking a moment to think, everything became clear to the Headmistress and she clicked her tongue lightly in dismay. _"I do hope you're in better spirits these days, dear" she stated, "and I hope your family is also well."_

For a moment or so, Lincoln and Ms. Grimwood chatted idly with one another; bringing each other up to speed on what's been happening. When Ms. Grimwood eventually heard about Lincoln's Gal Pals friends, she couldn't help but giggle. _"Wait until I tell my girls the news" _laughed Ms. Grimwood, _"I hope they won't mind sharing you."_

On his end of the line, Lincoln couldn't help but give an ironic chuckle; informing the headmistress that the Gals said the exact same thing a moment ago. _"But...I'm getting off track here" _he stated, _"the reason I've called is because...are you guys still doing that Open House thing on Halloween?"_ Without missing a beat, Ms. Grimwood responded by mentioning her school's open house get together; which involves the girls' parents coming to visit them.

_"Oh, yeah...I forgot about that" _Lincoln grumbled softly, _"Tanis spoke about that in one of her letters."_ Just as he was about to end his call, Ms. Grimwood urged Lincoln to remain on the line; eager to know his purpose for calling. _"Well...it's a long story, really" _he stated, _"to put it one way; my sister, Lucy got sick and can't put on the Halloween décor like she always does...and the family selected _me_ to be her replacement for this year."_

Once Lincoln added how inept he was at setting up anything horror-themed, Miss Grimwood had a rather good idea on what was going on. "I see, you wish to ask me and my girls to help assist you in your hour of need" she stated, "normally...I would say no; especially given the timing of the situation." Just as hope seemed lost for Lincoln, Ms. Grimwood heard some of her students outside the office.

From the sound of their collective giggling, it seemed as though they were in a bit of play; which was granted to them in honor of Free Period. Upon hearing all this, Ms. Grimwood suddenly got an idea. "After giving it some thought, I think it _would_ be a good idea to come and help you" she stated, "this will be the perfect way to see how well my girls will behave around other children their own age...so to speak."

On the other line, Lincoln was softly cheering with glee while also expressing heartfelt thanks to Ms. Grimwood for her kindness. "One moment, Mr. Loud" she said firmly, "I will need to speak with the girls' parents first; _they_ might wish to come as well." After letting this bit of news sink in, Lincoln murmured in understanding; saying that things would be even more fun, if the girls' fathers were who they claimed in their letters to him.

"It's settled, then" said Ms. Grimwood, "once _we_ have finished speaking; I will contact the girls fathers straightaway and see if I can gain their permission to come meet you." Lincoln's voice murmured in understanding on the other end, thanked the headmistress for her consideration and expressed his hope on seeing her soon. With that done, the line went dead and Ms. Grimwood began to dial up a new number on her phone.

After dialing and listening to the ringtone for a few moments, she heard someone answer on the other end. "Good afternoon, I'm so sorry for calling you this early" Ms. Grimwood murmured apologetically, "I'm calling in regards to the Open House on Halloween Night...with your permission, there may be a slight change in plans."

(First AN: It wouldn't be a Halloween story without a mystery theme to it, right? Who do you think Ms. Grimwood is talking to on the phone, who _is_ Ms. Grimwood herself and will they be of any help to Lincoln? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Part Two of Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals)

(Second AN: The reason I have Lincoln feel inept at putting a Halloween theme together for his house stems from the fact that outside of his fascination with ghost hunting, he seldom has any knowledge on the macabre; unlike Lucy and Haiku. Any other time, he _can_ be a creative thinker; he just has certain fields where he isn't very skilled at...like sports)

(Third AN: In case anyone is confused, Lincoln signed up for the pen pal program in the Fall season of 5th Grade, months prior to the events of the original Gal Pals story)

(Fourth AN: I'm not exactly sure as to where Grimwood's might be. Looking back at the original Ghoul School movie, I strongly believe it's set somewhere within the United States; possibly somewhere where there's a lot of rain)

(Fifth AN: Originally, I wasn't planning on including Ronnie Anne or any of her family in this oneshot. But...seeing as how Lincoln's in an emergency situation; it's just as Carlotta said, the Gals' have gotta stick together. In any case; this will provide some interesting character interactions, once the students of Grimwood come to Royal Woods)

(Last AN: I apologize for saving this note for last. But before this oneshot progresses further; I wish to sincerely thank fellow Fanfiction author, Thefoxmage, for allowing me to use some of her own story elements as parts for this oneshot. After reading one of his/her crossover stories, Lincoln Loud and the Ghoul School; I was inspired to make this. For those familiar with foxmage's work, expect to see some of his/her characters to make possible appearances sometime later.

To those who _aren't_ familiar with LL&TGS, I highly recommend reading the story _and_ its sequal anthology; Tales from Grimwood. On that note, here's hoping to see the next part of that story, dude)


	15. Halloween Hilarity - Part Two

Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals – Part Two

(Story Summary: As Halloween Night fast approaches, Lincoln and Co. do whatever they can to put everything together while Lucy remains in bed rest. Unfortunately, everyone has difficulty in trying to think of something that best captures "the true spirit of Halloween;" as said in Mayor Davis' advertisement. Thankfully, Lincoln's pen pals will be paying him a visit; along with their headmistress and their parents.

Will the assistance of these mystery girls give Lincoln the creative push he desires, will they be able to set everything up in time and most importantly, how will the Gal Pals behave around this group; especially after they discover what their identities are?)

A day or so passed by since Lucy fell ill and Lincoln was appointed as the family's Halloween planner. In that time, he and the Gal Pals have tried their best to think up ideas for the house's Halloween theme; all while looking to the mayor's words of "something that represents the true spirit of the season" in mind. But try as they might, they thought of the usual décor and themes.

Then, just as hope almost seemed lost; they received some much needed backup from some old and new friends. As promised, Ronnie Anne and Carlotta arrived at the house with their mothers and grandmother behind them. Upon their arrival; Lori, as one would expect, questioned why Bobby wasn't with them.

"He's sorry he couldn't come, dear" murmured Mrs. Santiago, "like Lincoln, _he_ was given the task of outfitting the _Mercado _for Halloween night and he is quite good at it." As proof, Frieda reached into her purse and brought out a photo; one that showed the Casagrande Family's bodega. However; right away, everyone could see clear signs of changes in the establishment.

There were skeletons in the dairy case, fake heads placed on the produce shelves, "gag snacks" like gummy worms and gumballs painted to look like eyeballs placed inside the candy shelves and much more. After taking all these sights in, the Gals couldn't help but murmur in soft yet impressed voices. At the same time, however; this all caused Lincoln to look at _his _work in shame.

While his wall handmade wall decorations did look impressive, they seemed small compared to what Bobby put together. In any case, the presence of the two Santiago and three Casagrande maids _did _help provide Lincoln's current group with a few extra hands; which he happily welcomed. A day after _they _arrived, more people decided to pop in and help him out.

Among them were Officers Higgins, Simmons, Campos and their families. Of course, they revealed to Lincoln a secondary reason why they decided to come. "As you may know, _chamaco; _Halloween is a time where a lot of troublemakers decide to come out and ruin everyone's fun" Campos murmured, "so, officers like us have to make sure nothing goes amiss."

Upon hearing these words; Albert, Lincoln's grandfather, offered up a light chuckle and asked what harm could a few Halloween pranksters cause. "Trust me, Pop-Pop; she's not joking" Lincoln insisted, "one time, Clyde and I went to Huntington Oaks for Trick R' Treating and we got jumped by these two bruisers; Hank and Hawk...they took our candy and everything!" Though it pained him to do so, Clyde also mentioned how the boys in question _also _turned them into Human Pretzels; a threat Lori made towards Lincoln on many occasions.

"I remember them" grumbled Cristina, "they were the creeps who harassed us for liking The Princess Bride...and you even took a beating from them to defend me." Carlotta, her mother and grandmother couldn't help but gush at the chivalric gesture; while Ronnie Anne proclaimed it to be "brave...stupid and a bit reckless but brave." "Not only that but those creeps also stole the candy from everyone in town, one Halloween" Lola growled, "but we gave them a huge scare and sent them running back home!"

The moment this was brought up, Luna started drumming a pair of paint brushes against some paint cans rhythmically; all while humming the song "You Got Tricked" to herself. "This reveal caused everyone to burst out into a jolly fit of laughter. "Well, looks like we got the right kinda backup; in case history repeats itself" Officer Simmons chuckled, "still...not everyone might be so easily spooked by such tactics."

As if on cue; Rosa stepped forth and proclaimed that if any such _"brutos" _were to show up again, she could use a protection method she often used at her house to "ward off evil spirits." Then, she went into her purse and pulled out a Ziploc bag that was filled with what looked like an assortment of leaves and flower pedals. "No disrespect meant, Ma'am" Officer Higgins stated, "but that hoo-hah ain't gonna work on nobody."

As if she expected the policewoman to say such a thing, Rosa smiled slyly and opened up the bag just a little at the left edge. Even though the opening was small; the aroma that seeped out of it was so strong, it practically made everyone grip at their noses in distress. "_AY DIOS MIO..._That is powerful" Dolores cried in a stuffy voice, "what's in that baggie?!"

With a playfully wicked grin on her face; the Casagrande matriarch described the concoction as her own blend of Anointing Oil, Agrimony, Basil, Coriander and a few food ingredients she collected from her kitchen (such as some beans, clove and cayenne pepper. "Oh...wow; that certainly makes a strong smell, Mrs. C" Phoebe murmured through her stuffy nose, "but I think that might scare away the Trick R Treaters as well as any 'spirits' that may come around here." Upon realizing this, Rosa quickly sealed the baggie shut and placed it back inside her purse; just in case she needed it later.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, everybody was hard at work in either thinking up ideas for decor or tidying up whatever the Louds had already put out on display. At one point, they were graced by the arrival of Lincoln's newest school friends; Ellie, Dolores, Tonya and Omar. Of course, this was the Louds' first time meeting them and they wanted to make a good impression; especially when they learned who their mothers were.

The first one of Lincoln's sisters to greet these four was Lily, who reached her arms up towards Tonya; as if asking her to lift her up. "Well! Hello there, lil' lady" she greeted sweetly while plucking the baby up, "Lincoln and my mama told me about you, said y'all like to pull on people's hair a lot." As if on cue, Lily let out an excited squeal and lightly gripped her tiny hand on Tonya's afro.

While her grip wasn't very strong, Lily _did_ manage to give the preteen's hair a good tug. "AH! Hey, now; none of that" she squealed painfully, "no need to be pullin' on..." Just as she was about to give her a light reprimand, Tonya took one look into Lily's eyes and her heart suddenly melted.

Without pause, she then proceeded to nuzzle and giggle at the littlest Loud playfully. This display equally warmed the hearts of all others who were present there. "So sorry about that, T" Lincoln murmured, "she's done the same thing to Whitney as well...and once to Lori when her hair frizzed up."

When asked why Lily had such a habit, Rita gave the only response she could think of; that poofy hair makes Lily think of a bunny's cottontail. "Little Carlitos does the same thing, sometimes" Frieda giggled, "mostly whenever he's copying someone who's pulling at their hair from stress." After Tonya and Lily had their fun, Lincoln proceeded to introduce her and the others to his sisters.

As expected; when Lana and Lola took a look at Omar, they almost mistook him for a High School kid. "Same thing happened to _me,_ back when we first met" Lincoln chuckled heartily, "but trust me, Omar's actually around the same age as me." Though the twins still had their doubts, Lisa already deduced the reason behind Omar's immense stature.

But she chose to hold her tongue about it, both out of respect for _him_ and the fact that everyone seemed to know the truth already. An hour passed since everyone started working and just like before, nothing seemed to feel right to "best represent the spirit of Halloween." After a while, everyone decided to take a quick break to rest their minds and hands from the stress.

"Y'all, this is gettin' us nowhere" Ellie grumbled, "I've thought about every kind of creepy thing I know about Halloween...but nothin' feels right, ya know what I mean?" Without hesitation, the Guys and Gals all responded with equal dismay; all while rubbing their foreheads to ease their collective mental stresses. "Oh, _niños_, it's okay" murmured Ronnie Anne's Aunt Frieda, "I still like your decoration creations; they're very well made."

With that statement; she began to take snapshots of all the different bats, pumpkins, black cats and other iconic Halloween symbols they've cut out together. While everyone warmly accepted this bit of praise from her and thanked Frieda for it, it did little to ease their self-doubt. It was then that all eyes fell upon Lincoln, who was in the midst of cutting out a string of bat-shaped paper dolls.

"Your friends' teacher _did_ say they were coming; right, _chamaco_" questioned Dolores, "because to me, it feels like they've stood us all up." Lincoln suddenly felt conflicted by these words; on the one hand, part of him was slightly starting to agree with her. But on the other hand, Miss Grimwood assured him that they would make their trip into town; if she gained the permission of her students' families.

Of course, this was days ago and there he hadn't heard anything more from the headmistress since. _"Don't lose hope, dude" _Lincoln assured himself mentally, _"remember, this school is halfway across the country; which means it could take them a while to fly or drive here." _With these thoughts in mind, he felt even more certain that his pen pals might arrive in town soon and told everyone not to lose hope.

(Line Break)

"How are you so certain they'll be able to help us, lil' dude" questioned Omar while he set up a zombie dummy, "what else can ya tell us about these...pen pals of yours?" Upon hearing their friend's inquiry; everyone, young and old, began asking Lincoln the same question. "At the moment, all we know about them and their school is what you told us before" Carlotta stated, "they attend a finishing school for girls, they're low-tech and that they have...a weird love for Halloween...no offense."

Just as Lincoln was about to make a reply; his grandfather/Pop-Pop, Albert suddenly interjected. He went on to say that somehow, something about the headmistress' name seemed familiar to him. "What makes you say that, Al" Myrtle prodded playfully, "were you and this woman an item years back?"

In an instant, Albert began to exhibit an array of nervous mannerism; something that (to the Gals and Loud Sisters) seemed all too familiar to them. "Sweetie...I promise you, it was _nothing_ like that" Albert stated, "we don't even know if she's the same woman Lincoln's mentioned!" Just before things were about to get hectic, the Gals quickly brought the conversation back on track and asked Lincoln about his pen pals again.

"Well, truth is...I can't really tell you much" he confessed, "we may have written to each other but we've never sent pictures to one another; snail mail and all."

As if on cue; the moment this was said, Leni immediately questioned why anyone would put snails in the mail. "No, sweetie; he's talking about sending letters by mail" Rita explained, "which is...a bit slower than sending text messages or e-mails to each other." After hearing this explanation, Leni let out a soft "oooh" in understanding; while Lori said sending letters by mail was "so 1980's."

"Moving on...I never actually got to see what they look like because of these circumstances" Lincoln stated, "but through their letters, I discovered things that left me rather...confused." Upon hearing the word confused, it made a few of the adults feel quite suspicious; believing that there was something about these girls Lincoln didn't like. When they asked him what it was their letters said, he didn't quite know how o explain.

"Well...to start with, they have a rather interesting pet" he murmured hesitantly, "a little guy named Matches." This statement left everyone feeling even more confused than before, truthfully. "What kind of name is 'Matches' for a pet" Tonya asked, "is this lil' guy a dog, a cat...or somethin' else?"

Just as he did before, Lincoln said he didn't quite know how to respond due to not having any visual aids. "Well; have you been saving your friends' letters, at least" questioned Maria, "maybe there's something in them that could shed some light on things." Lincoln beamed brightly at this suggestion, thanked Mrs. Santiago for bringing it up and hurried up to his room.

When he returned, he had a handful of letters held in his right hand. After handing out a few of them to the others, Lincoln asked if they noticed any of the things _he_ found "interesting" in them. "All I can say is...these gals seem really odd" Liam murmured, "I mean, what kinda feller would want to live anywhere near a bog?"

Almost immediately, the only two people who responded to this were Lana (which was rather obvious) and Lucy; whose voice sounded slightly hoarse. "You think _that's_ strange, listen to this" Carol stated, "says here that they once almost got brainwashed by somebody named...I'm not kidding here, Revolta." As expected, everyone looked over at the teen with varied "are you kidding us" stares.

"I couldn't make this up if I tried, everybody" Carol murmured while waving her letter, "it's all here in black and white." As they browsed through the rest of the letters, their contents seemed to get even stranger overtime. One letter spoke about a teenaged boy and two dogs working there, the former acting as the school's coach; while another went into detail about some of the girls' classes.

When reading this particular note, some of the classes sounded relatively normal; like Gym or Potions Class (which Lisa speculated to be another term for Chemistry.) But then, when Becky read about a student named "Winnie" having a "shedding issue;" she didn't know whether to call shenanigans or to vomit first. "Oh c'mon, dearie; that doesn't sound too bad" Gertie giggled, "you didn't act this way when your Grampy started sheddin' _his_ hair."

The moment this was brought up, Becky's face shifted from a look of disgust to one of defeat. "Touché, Grandma...touché" she murmured softly, "but from the way Winnie describes _her_ shedding, it sounds as though it's happened all over her body!" Following this; Ronnie Anne, after reading the note _she_ had, mentioned that Matches (the school's pet) "accidentally burned the mailman's pants off" after delivering Lincoln's last letter.

"Sounds like Miss Grimwood might have a dragon at her school" Haiku murmured with a soft smile, "if that's true...I would love to know where she found him." As expected, this assumption caused not only Lisa to laugh mockingly but the officers as well. "_Chica_, I mean no respect in saying this" murmured Campos, "but the idea of a dragon being real is utter nonsense."

While half of him agreed with her; Albert told the officer that if this Miss Grimwood was the same one _he_ knew, she was known for having quite a few oddities at her school. "One time, she offered me some sweets she made herself" Albert murmured, "I believe it was something called...Fungus Fudge." This bit of info sounded so gross, it actually made the Loud Family's pets feel like gagging.

Upon recovering, Luan questioned if the woman wasn't simply making a joke with him; like _she_ often did with the family. "No, I'm quite serious here; she gave me Fungus Fudge" Albert stated, "it was actually...kind of good, except for a small aftertaste." After taking a moment to wipe that thought out of their heads, everyone went back to studying the Grimwood Girls' letters to Lincoln.

"Hmmm...Fascinating" Lisa murmured, "it seems that a girl named Elsa is quite the scientific prodigy." With this in mind, she began to think about all the possible debates and discussions she could have with this "Elsa." "I'm more interested in this Sibella girl" Carol stated, "sounds like she's a lady of class."

One by one, each of Lincoln's family and friends began to discover new and interesting things about these girls. This made them even more anxious for their impending arrival. "Hang on, everybody" Cici interjected, "I can't explain it...but something in these letters tells me that these girls might not be what we think they are."

To drive her point home further, she suggested that they could be a group of rather weird people; for all they knew. But in spite of the truth in her words, it did little to deter any of them. "Have you looked at our collective posses, brah" Luna chuckled, "every one of us is weird in our own ways...and that's what makes us _ROCKIN'!_"

Cici suddenly chuckled lightly at the teen rocker's words and realized she raised a good point. "Still, we should keep on our toes...just in case" murmured Officer Simmons, "this holiday tends to bring out all sorts of crazies." Just as she said this phrase, a small orb of light appeared in the center of the street.

Within seconds; this orb slowly began to grow in size and then, it started to change its shape. Soon, it began to take on the form of a large hole in the ground; which then proceeded to levitate up slightly and face it's opening towards the crowd. The whole time this was going on; everyone didn't know whether to be scared, fascinated or amazed.

Then, just when people thought things couldn't get any stranger; on the other side of this hole, everyone could see the silhouette of a person (possibly.) Then, once it got close enough; the figure's hand suddenly reached through and was beckoning for someone to approach them. "Whoever he, she..._it_ is; it seems like they need some help" Stella stated, "we should lend a hand."

Just as she was about to approach the strange hole, Stella's mother quickly rushed over and pushed her back slightly. "Honey, are you nuts" she cried in alarm, "we don't know what this is or why it suddenly appeared here...it's not a good idea to approach it!" Before anyone could sound off in either agreement or protest, the figure's hand started moving oddly; as if gesturing to something.

Upon taking careful observation, everyone saw that the figure was gesturing for _Lincoln_ to approach it. "I dunno...maybe Stella's mom is right" the young Loud boy murmured, "maybe we shouldn't mess with...whatever this is." Suddenly, a warm aura enveloped around Lincoln's body; alarming everyone.

Then, just as the Gal Pals were about to go and save him; he quickly ordered them to hold back. "It's okay, guys; the figure in that...hole thing is Miss Grimwood" Lincoln announced, "I can't explain it...but somehow, she's asking me to tell you to help her out of that hole." At first; everyone, naturally thought Lincoln was going crazy.

But after further insistence from him and a promise that they'd be okay, they relented and approached the strange hole again. "Let me help her out" Lynn requested, "you guys might need some muscle to pull this person outta...wherever this thing leads to." Realizing that she made a valid point, everyone gestured for Lynn to proceed.

Firmly yet gently, the former Loud Family jock took hold of the stranger's wrist and gave a good pull. Of course, once she did so; she suddenly fell backward unceremoniously onto the pavement. At the same time, however; Lynn _did _manage to help the stranger out of the hole.

"Thank you for the assistance, dear" she said in a refined tone of voice, "passing through portals is often difficult, if you haven't used them very often." While the stranger took a moment to dust herself off, everyone stood silent while also taking in her outlandish appearance. She was a short, flat nosed, middle-aged female with dark hair.

She wore a pink dress and a red cloak held on with skull buttons, a red head band and a pair of matching red shoes. Despite being middle aged, she looked like a relatively lovely and kind woman. Once she was all clean, the woman then approached the hole and leaned her head in slightly.

"Come on through, my little ones" she called out, "it's perfectly safe here." Before anyone could ask whom the woman was speaking to; the hole expanded much wider and several more shadowed figures appeared on the other side, one of which seemed to resemble a small lizard. Then, all of a sudden; several beings/creatures came flying through the hole.

The first was the small lizard; which, after getting a good look at it, resembled more of a dragon than anything. Next came a bat; then, a wolf, a tiny mummy, a fish creature, a sort of small alien life form, a giant lizard, a tall teenaged girl who seemed to have bolts in her neck and several other strange things. Once everyone made their way through, the woman began to look over each of them; making certain there were no signs of injuries or missing appendages (that weren't already missing earlier.)

Overtime, she saw that everyone was in one piece and sighed with relief. Meanwhile; Lincoln, his family, the Gals and everyone else beside them stood still as statues. They couldn't decide which was stranger, the fact that they came through what the woman called a "portal" or that their "costumes" looked _shockingly _lifelike.

Soon, everything became so quiet that it was almost scary; not even the pets dared to speak up. Then, Lincoln and his grandfather approached the strange woman; just as she began to do the same. Once both sides were close enough, Albert and the woman suddenly locked eyes with one another; which made everyone feel rather even more uneasy.

Finally, after what felt like ages of silence and waiting; both seniors suddenly erupted into a mad fit of jolly laughter and embraced each other. "Albert, it's so good to see you again" the woman said with glee, "how have you been all these years?" Without pause, the old man said told her that he'd been keeping busy; thanks to his loved ones.

"Hey, everybody; come on over here" Albert called out to the Louds, "I want ya to meet my old friend." While still feeling nervous about the girls in their "costumes," the Loud Family cautiously made their way over towards Pop-Pop and smiled at his "friend." "Rita, Lynn, kids; this is Agatha Grimwood" Albert said with a chuckle, "back during my war days, my team and I were investigating some odd happenings going on at an old house in the Midwest."

From here, he explained how his commanding officer thought these "odd happenings" were signs of possible experiments the enemy was conducting. "When we got to the building, imagine my surprise when we saw that there _were_ some scientific shenanigans goin' on" Albert murmured, "just...not the kind we thought." He spoke about students zapping themselves with electricity, weird potion creations and he even mentioned how the little lizard presumably attacked one of his fellow troopers.

"What...your pal was ambushed by _that_ little thing" Ronnie Anne chuckled, "he looks like an oversized pet shop lizard." Understandably so, the wee creature felt bothered by her words and started growling angrily. Then, they saw it glow a bright orange-red color; which did _not _look like a good sign.

Before anyone had the chance to speak up again; smoke seeped out of the little lizard's nostrils and then, he unleashed a strong blast of fire from its mouth at Ronnie Anne. At the near last second, she let out a startled yelp and leapt into her cousin's arms; just missing the flames. "Holy jeez...did y'all just see that" cried Ellie, "that lil' critter really _is_ a dragon!"

After letting this reveal sink in, everyone's eyes slowly eased over in the direction of the Grimwood Girls (or possibly, Ghouls.) Then, all of a sudden; the bat began to slowly change shape. Within seconds, it transformed itself into a beautiful young lady. She had odd yet lovely lavender skin, long two-tone purple hair, luscious red lips, aqua-colored eyelids (possibly some form of rare eye shadow) and matching green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a dark purple dress with a knee-high slit, red flats and a red belt wrapped around her slender waist.

Needless to say, the sight of her made quite a few heads turn both among the males _and_ females. "Can it be...am I seeing things" Haiku whispered in awe, "if this is a trick, it's a _very_ good one." With this thought in mind, she wanted to approach them and get a closer look.

But before Haiku could move one step, Lincoln was already starting to approach the group of strange girls. At the same time, one of them (namely the mummy girl) began to shyly walk towards _him_ as well. When the two got close enough, Lincoln took a knee so that he would be at the "girl's" eye-level.

The two stared into each other's eyes for what felt like ages and then, the mummy girl murmured two simple words to Lincoln; "Big...Brother?" After hearing these words, Lincoln's eyes swelled up with tears and he offered up a sweet bucktoothed grin at her. "Yeah, Tanis...it's me" he whispered, "it's so nice to finally meet you."

The wee mummy girl called Tanis smiled warmly at Lincoln and, before he could react, leapt into his arms for a hug. After holding her for about a minute, Lincoln released her and complimented Tanis on her "costume." "Costume...I'm not wearing a costume" she said matter-of-factly, "these are my real bandages."

That did it...after hearing that reveal, witnessing the purple bat transform into a girl _and_ seeing Miss Grimwood come into their neighborhood through a portal of some kind; it was official, these were _not_ ordinary girls. Yet in spite of all this, the adults still remained skeptical (whereas Lynn Sr. was feeling terrified.) _"Get a grip, Lynn...it's probably just your imagination" _he thought to himself, _"these girls just _couldn't _be...m-m-monsters!"_

Just before he could sink deeper into his fearful thoughts, Lynn suddenly felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw a rather...adorable looking preteen girl with pale-green skin, clean but unkempt black hair and stitches around her neck, knees and shoulders. She was wearing a t-shirt that was tattered and torn, a knee-length, threadbare plaid skirt, wore one sock that appeared about knee-high and sported a pair of worn out shoes.

Everyone, including Lynn, stared silently at this young lady; who remained standing before him with her hand held out. "Nice to finally meet our pen pal's dad" the girl greeted kindly, "my name's Zanya, one of Miss Grimwood's students." Once more, Lynn remained frozen stiff; appearing too afraid to do or say anything.

Then, with a little nudge from Rita; he realized he was being rude to her and decided to accept her greeting. "The p-p-pleasure is all ours, young lady" Lynn said while taking Zanya's hand in his, "welcome to our little tow..." At that moment, just as he started shaking the young lady's hand; it suddenly popped off at the wrist.

At first, everyone's immediate thought was to scream in horror...until some people (like Luan or Ronnie Anne) suggested that it could simply be a fake prop hand. "Yeah, Carl used the same thing on _me_ once" Carlotta stated, "nice try, _chica_...but you can't full us." As the crowd laughed softly at the supposed joke, Zanya rolls her eyes softly while her fellow Grimwood peers murmur in annoyance.

"Looks like a demonstration is in order" the wolf girl said huskily, "you know what to do, Z." The young lady in question gave a nod, scrunched up her face slightly and soon; her hand started to wriggle out of Lynn Sr.'s grip. Once free, it jumped onto the sidewalk and proceeded to dance around like a wind-up doll.

As everyone watched this unfold before their eyes, their collective faces suddenly went pale (save for Haiku's.) "Guys...I don't think she's wearing a costume" Rocky said nervously, "I think she's...SHE'S A REAL ZOMBIE!" No sooner had he made this declaration, everyone screamed loudly in terror and proceeded to scatter about in fear.

As expected, this ruckus attracted the attention of one Bud Grouse; who poked his head out of his house and shouted "KEEP DOWN THAT RACKET, LOUD!" Naturally, this caused the Loud Kids and Gal Pals to feel rather worried; thinking they wouldn't be unable to do their Halloween planning without disturbing the town's resident curmudgeon. But then, Miss Grimwood walked over to the house and smiled at Mr. Grouse warmly; which confused everyone.

"Good afternoon, Sir" she said with a light smile, "so sorry about the noise, allow me to help you relax again." Upon saying this, she reached into a pouch that rested at the side of her right hip and pulled out what looked like...a clump of yellow powder. This caused both Mr. Grouse and the gathered crowd to stare at Miss Grimwood oddly.

"What'cha doin' with all that sawdust in your pockets, Missy" questioned the old man, "you plannin' to agitate my allergies or something?" Miss Grimwood said nothing in reply; instead, she simply blew the dust into Mr. Grouse's face. For a moment or so, he hacked and coughed loudly; all while shouting angry rants at the headmistress.

Then, almost ten seconds later; these rantings slowly died down until they were nothing more than slurred whispers. After that, Mr. Grouse gave a prodigious yawn; which signaled Miss Grimwood to take him by his hand and lead him back inside his home. A brief moment later; she exited the building, dusted off her hands and returned over to her girls.

"That will do quite nicely" she said with satisfaction in her voice, "the Sleep Dust should help him to rest soundly for the next few hours, which will give _us_ all the time we need to prepare for the celebration." This announcement caused the Grimwood Girls to hoot, holler, shriek and cackle loudly with joy.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd stood silently in both awe and confusion; wondering if this was all real...or a _really_ convincing magic act. In time, Lincoln gained enough of his senses to approach Miss Grimwood and ask her how she put his neighbor asleep so quickly. "Oh, dear boy; it's no big fuss" she said humbly, "I may be a retired witch but I _still_ know quite a few spells, concoctions and remedies to help assist me."

That did it, seeing Zanya's hand come off so suddenly helped spark his anxieties just a little; as did seeing the purple bat turn into a..."human" girl. But after hearing Miss Grimwood say the "W" word, Lynn had reached his limit and began to scream in terror. "MONSTERS...THEY'RE ALL REAL MONSTERS" he shouted, "I GOTTA GO HIDE!"

With that thought in mind, the Loud Family patriarch ducked for cover inside of Charles' doghouse. Meanwhile; the rest of the crowd stared slack-jawed in surprise, after hearing his exclamation. In that moment, they didn't know whether to run or ask the police to apprehend them.

Well...not _everyone_ felt this way, actually; upon seeing that her suspicions were true, Haiku found herself on the verge of bursting with joy (which was rather contradictory to her Goth persona.) "I can't believe it" she murmured softly, "so...that girl with the purple hair _is_ a real vampire, which means...the rest of her friends are real too!" Eager to learn more about these girls, Haiku began to approach them; only to be stopped by her parents.

"Stand back, sweetheart; it's for your own safety" Mrs. Matthews insisted, "I know you have a fascination with these creatures...but I will _not _have that supposed vampire girl drink your blood!" Not long after this, several other adults began to say the same thing. Among these protective adults was Rosa Casagrande, who threatened to open up her Ziploc baggie of herbal mixtures and use it on the girls.

The whole time this was going on, the vampire girl in question simply sighed with mild annoyance with her hands upon her hips. "Oh, dear...classic human paranoia" she murmured, "it's just as my daddy told me." Upon hearing the girl mention her daddy, Haiku called for her attention and asked if her father was whom she suspected; the legendary Count Vladislaus Dracula?

"With all due respect, my Gothic friend; that would be absurd" Lisa said with a blunt lisp, "even _if_ this young lady _is_ a vampire...Dracula is a fictional character from literature." To prove her point, she rushed into the house and came back with Lucy's copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker. Then, in the blink of an eye; the book disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and suddenly reappeared in the purple girl's hands.

"Ah, yes; I'm quite familiar with this tale" she said while flipping through the pages, "a good interpretation...but I believe Mister Stoker failed to capture my daddy's _true_ excellence." There was a light chuckle of laughter from the crowd, when they heard this. From the way she spoke, the girl made it seem as though her "father" actually met Bram Stoker.

"You know...there _is_ an easy way to prove what she's saying is true" Haiku stated, "anyone have a mirror on hand?" As if expecting this question, both Lola _and_ Leni offered up their compact mirrors to her but she only requested _one._ After taking Leni's mirror in hand, she approached the strange girl and held it up to her.

With their collective curiosities swelling up, everyone cautiously walked over to the girls and saw...nothing. Even though the mirror was being held right up to the girl's face, no one could see her reflection. "Uh-oh, I think my mirror might be broken" Leni said dejectedly, "'cause I can't see her pretty face on it."

Without missing a beat, Haiku proclaimed that the teen's mirror was perfectly fine. "The reason you can't see her reflection...is because she doesn't have one" she stated, "which means that this girl really _is_ a vampire." Once again, the crowd broke into a panic; half of which started to grip their hands slightly over both sides of their necks.

"Hurry back in your homes, everyone" Mrs. Pingrey urged, "hurry before the girl gets the urge to drink our blood!" Once more, the girl in question groaned softly in exasperation; feeling even more bothered by the humans' paranoia. Then, with a snap of her fingers; everyone was suddenly frozen in place by an odd purple aura.

"There we are...now, no more screaming" she said firmly, "not until you let all of _us _talk first." For a moment or so, no one dared to speak; until the wee mummy named Tanis pleaded for everyone to hear them out. Upon seeing the sincere look in her blue eyes, the crowd's fear waned slightly and they agreed to the girl's terms.

With that done, the purple girl gave another snap of her fingers and everyone was immediately released from her power. "Thank you for the assistance, Sibella" Miss Grimwood said gratefully, "now...I believe the time has come for _proper_ introductions." To start things off, she introduced herself as the headmistress of Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Ghouls.

"My school's aim is to help teach young ghouls and monsters how to reach their full potential" she explained, "as well as to properly integrate themselves into human society." As everyone listened to Miss Grimwood's words, they wondered what she meant by "helping ghouls reach their full potential." "So...your school just teaches students basic educational stuff" questioned Jordan hesitantly, "you...don't train them to attack humans or to take over the world?"

Upon hearing the latter suggestion, the ghouls broke out into fits of laughter over how preposterous it all sounded. "Look...contrary to what you humans see in movies, we monsters and ghouls aren't evil" Zanya stated, "all we want is to live our lives...or rather, afterlives free from persecution and abuse." While everyone agreed that the "young lady's" words seemed sincere, they still questioned the purple girl (whom Grimwood called Sibella) intended on sucking out anyone's blood.

"Must we keep bringing up that tired old stereotype" she said with an eye-roll, "human blood is just so...fatty, especially in this modern age and one can _never_ tell where it's been or what a human's exposed it to." This statement seemed to appease the likes of Lisa, who concurred that humans often _do_ let their blood become toxic; sometimes on purpose. "So...wait, you really don't drink blood" inquired Ronnie Anne, "then, what do you do whenever you're...y'know, hungry?"

With a light smile on her face, Sibella summoned forth a small lunchbox; one that contained a thermos, a pair of oranges (which appeared almost rotten) and a brownie. Though they feared the answer, everyone asked her what she had inside the thermos. "Oh, it's just a liter of tomato juice; squeezed from our school's own garden" Sibella answered, "it's as rich and tasty as blood...but without the harmful elements like fatty cholesterol."

Wishing to be friendly; she opened up the thermos, poured a little juice into the lid and offered it up to anyone who wished to sample it. "I'll give it a try, ma'am" Liam exclaimed, "wonder if it'll taste as good as our own tomaters." With that, he took the lid in hand and downed the contents in one swig; much to everyone's surprise.

Then, seconds later; he started to smack his lips softly with an odd look on his face. "This juice has...a mighty interestin' taste to it, Missy" he said warily, "except for this little aftertaste." These words gave everyone an odd sense of déjà vu, thinking that Albert Loud had the same exact feelings towards Miss Grimwood's fudge.

Soon after that, Miss Grimwood began to introduce each of her students to everyone; starting with Sibella. "As your young friend guessed; she is, indeed the daughter of Count Dracula" she stated, "rather...she is _one _of his children." Before anyone had the chance to ask, Sibella quickly revealed that her father had three brides/wives.

"My mother, Vanna, is his second bride" she added, "my younger sister, Mavis is the daughter of his third bride...but she is no longer with us." At first, the Loud Kids stared at Sibella oddly, wondering if they heard her correctly on her sister's name. "I feel like I've heard that name Mavis before" Lola muttered, "probably from a movie or something."

But then, they suddenly remembered what Sibella said about her third "mother" and their expressions suddenly went grim. "Oh...wow, that's heavy" Lori murmured uneasily, "we're literally sorry that happened to your mom, Sibella...er, _one_ of your moms." The young vampire smiled slightly at the eldest Loud sibling and thanked her for her kindness.

She then went on to explain that it was because of that loss that she was sent to Grimwood's finishing school. "Daddy said it was both for my protection _and_ so that I could become strong enough to protect myself" Sibella stated, "thanks to Miss Grimwood's teachings, it seems to have worked." To demonstrate her prowess, she decided to show off her shape-shifting powers; starting with her bat form.

The moment she did this; she caught the attention of Fangs, who was watching the scene from up on Lucy's bedroom window. When he spotted the new purple female bat, his animal instincts kicked in and he immediately tried to woo her. "Hey, cool bat" Zanya said gleefully, "is it somebody's pet and if so, whose is it?"

With a light grin on his face; Lincoln revealed that Fangs belonged to his younger sister, Lucy. "She would absolutely _love_ to meet you guys" he stated, "but...she's sick right now and is probably fast asleep." This news left Miss Grimwood feeling quite displeased and, with the Loud Parents' approval, decided to try and help her.

Then, in a flash; she summoned up her travel bag with some magic and began searching for something. "It's in here somewhere, I know I packed it with me" she muttered, "it should be riiight...AH, here it is!" With that affirmation, Miss Grimwood drew out her hand to reveal a small chemistry set.

"I always carry this with me whenever I travel" she stated, "one never knows when they might need a quick potion for certain occasions." For the next moment or so; everyone watched in awe and confusion, as Miss Grimwood started mixing all manner of juices and ingredients together. Then, just as quickly as she started; her concoction was finished.

"There we are, one Cure All healing draught" Miss Grimwood said with pride while handing the bottle to Mrs. Loud, "just mix this in with some tea, have her drink it and in two days time; she will be right as rain." While she felt rather hesitant in believing the headmistress, at first; Rita was no less grateful and happily expressed her thanks.

"Yes, thank you for the gesture" Lynn Sr. murmured while slowly coming out of the doghouse, "but my question is...why, why would you help us?" With great pride in her voice and a smile on her face; Miss Grimwood proclaimed the gesture was the least she could do, after all the help his son gave her girls. "Hold up there a minute, Ma'am" Tonya called out, "Linc and your girls were just pen pals...what did he do to help 'em?"

With this question, Lincoln decided to let the cat out of the bag and explain what went down between both him and the Grimwood Ghouls. As expected; Lincoln revealed how he, much to the Gal Pals mild disdain, once shared his struggles in dealing with his sisters in each letter he sent to the Ghouls. "At the same time; with each of those letters _they_ would share, the Ghouls shared their own struggles with me" he stated, "most of which involved being harassed by some guys from a military school that stood next door to them."

Among those who were harassed was little Tanis, who confessed how some neighborhood kids would often tease her and try to pull her bandages off. In another letter, she said that some kids called her a "hideous freak;" which was something that really rubbed Lincoln the wrong way. "Lincoln's advise really helped me out, whenever I struggled" Tanis stated, "overtime, I started to...you know, think of him as my big brother because of it."

After letting all this information sink in; everyone felt that the story was not only touching, they also applauded Lincoln for sharing his "Big Brother" nature with a complete stranger. "It's no big deal" he said bashfully, "I just...I just can't stand it when people pick on people who are different or smaller than they are for no reason." Upon hearing this statement, several of the elder Loud Sisters winced slightly; thinking it was slightly directed at them somehow.

Sensing that the atmosphere was becoming a little grim, Miss Grimwood asked another of her students to introduce themselves; specifically, the little wolf girl named Winnie. "At first, I thought that Linc was just pulling my tail" she stated, "I thought that no family could be _that_ crazy...until I remembered the kind of pack _I _lived with." As they listened to her words, the Loud Sisters and their parents soon found themselves shrinking down in shame (metaphorically speaking.)

Then, Lily suddenly made a beeline crawl towards Winnie; much to the shock of her parents. Rita tried to call her back over her way but it was too late; once she got close enough, Lily giggled and started reaching up towards Winnie's poofy hair. "AH! Puppy" she cried loudly with joy, "pet puppy...pet puppy." Of course, even though Lily thought she was "petting" Winnie; in actuality, she was pulling at her hair.

"AH! Hey, watch it" the young werewolf cried, "that's not a wig I'm wearing, you..." Before she could finish her tirade, Winnie took one look into Lily's eyes and suddenly felt her heart melt. "Ah, who cares about that" she chuckled heartily, "you can pet me all you want, lil' lady...just be gentle."

Soon after saying that, Winnie scooped Lily up in her arms and started laughing merrily; which didn't go unnoticed by the others. "EEE! This is just so cute" Leni giggled, "I've totally gotta get a pic of this...but I'll bet _she _doesn't have a reflection either." Upon hearing these words (thanks to her sensitive hearing,) Winnie smiled at the teen and told her to go ahead and take a picture.

"That no reflection thing only happens with vampires" she assured, "us werewolves, on the other hand always show up in mirrors and pictures." Pleased by this news, Leni took out her phone and snatched a picture of Winnie and her baby sister together; just as the she was about to crawl up to the werewolf teen's head. "This is great, I can't wait to post this" Leni said with glee, "I mean...if that's okay."

Miss Grimwood smiled at her kindly and said it was not only perfectly, this gesture would be an excellent small step towards better Interspecies Relations. "Yeah...about that, what exactly does that all mean" questioned Rusty, "are you saying there are _more_...people like these girls out there in the world?" Without a moment's pause, Miss Grimwood responded with a strong nod; which caused Lynn Sr. to almost faint.

"To elaborate, all the creatures you all consider to be 'myths' are all quite real" she stated, "half of which are students that attend my school." It was here that she introduced everyone to the school's pet dragon, Matches. "I KNEW IT" Haiku cried with delight, "I _knew _that the little guy was a dragon, where did you find him?"

While they were just as eager to learn about this story, the adults proclaimed they were getting off-track and asked to meet the other girls. With this in mind, Miss Grimwood called the ghost girl over to her side. "This young lady here is Phantasma" she stated, "she is the Phantom's daughter and our school's top musician."

Upon hearing her father be addressed as "the Phantom," everyone immediately thought of the Phantom of the Opera. "HEE-HEE-HEE! No, sillies; _he's_ not my father...but I can understand the confusion" Phantasma giggled, "no, _my _father was more involved with radio than the opera." From here; she explained how her father, Edgar Raven, once made a living writing and narrating his horror stories on the radio during the "Roaring '20s."

"I worked alongside him with the music" Phantasma explained, "I was particularly skilled playing the pipe organ." With this statement; Haiku mentally wished that her friend, Robert was there with them. If he was, Phantasma could show off some of her supposed skills on his keyboard.

But then, Luna immediately rushed into the house and brought out her own; much to Phantasma's delight. "Go ahead, Ghost Gal" the teen rocker urged, "show us your stuff!" While still floating in the air, Phantasma pressed one of the buttons to create a sort of musical beat for her to perform with.

Then, with a jolly cackle; she began to play a tune that was so hauntingly exhilarating (no pun intended) that it even made Haiku tap her toes. When she finished up, the whole crowd cheered wildly with delight. "That...was...ROCKIN'" Luna decreed, "would you...consider joining me and my band, if we should ever need a keyboard player?"

With a great laugh in her throat, Phantasma happily accepted the offer and proceeded to seal the deal by shaking Luna's hand; only for it to phase right through. "Whoops...Hee-hee, sorry" she giggled, "I always forget that it's not easy for us ghosts to touch things." Moving along, Miss Grimwood introduced them to the giant lizard girl they saw earlier; who seemed to appear taller than Vanzilla.

She had pale green (almost white) scales, pointed teeth sticking out from underneath her top lip, black spines running down along her back and atop her tail and large, black eyes; which some of the Gal Pals dubbed "anime eyes." Her only pieces of clothing were a dark-pink bow atop her head and a light pink skirt around her waist. From the moment they saw her, it was clear who this "girl's" father might've been...but everyone wanted to wait and be certain.

After taking in a shy gulp, the young monster approached everyone and gave them a slight bow; which they recognized as a familiar Japanese custom. "_Minasan, kon'nichiwa_" she said in greeting, "_Watashinonamaeha sukidesu__._" Upon hearing this statement, everyone stood in complete silence; mostly due the fact that they didn't realize a creature like this could speak Japanese so fluently.

At the same time, no one had the slightest clue as to what she said; save for one person, Lisa. "My Japanese _is _a tad rusty, bear in mind" she informed matter-of-factly, "but...if I can guess; she is saying...'Good afternoon, everyone...my name is...Suki.'" After hearing this rough translation, the girl in question started nodding frantically; all while murmuring "_hai, hai_" adorably.

"Suki is quite nervous around humans, due to how they behaved towards her father over the years" Miss Grimwood explained, "thus, she only speaks her native Japanese whenever she is shy around new people." After hearing this explanation, Lincoln decided to make a bold move and approached Suki. Then, he held up his hand to her and offered two simple words in greeting; "hello, friend."

With the simple mentioning of the word "friend," Suki's demeanor brightened up instantly and she suddenly enveloped Lincoln into a friendly (albeit strong) embrace. Naturally, this caused the Louds _and _the Gal Pals to feel worried; especially when they saw the look of discomfort on Lincoln's face. But then, he turned over towards them and said that everything was okay.

"I'm kind of used to this, actually" he chuckled in a strained voice, "especially whenever Carol or Dana hug me." As if on cue, the two aforementioned teens pouted softly and murmured "yeah...well, _we_ should be the only ones who get to hug you like that." Once she let go of him, Suki cleared her throat and greeted everyone else in perfect English.

"It's very nice to meet you all" she stated, "sorry for being so nervous, Father always taught me to be careful around humans." In response to this, the crowd offered her light murmurs of understanding; telling her that even _their_ kind gets nervous around new people. "She is not the only one who has that problem" Miss Grimwood announced, "Gila...could you step forward, please."

With a soft whimper, another of the headmistress' students approached the crowd. She had brownish-green scales, bulbous eyes with tiny black irises at the center, a "dress" made up of leaves and moss and sported a small pink flower atop her head. Just like with Suki, Lincoln approached the little lady and was prepared to offer his hand to her in friendship.

But rather than accept it, she hissed softly at him and hid herself behind Miss Grimwood; all while whimpering "don't eat me" repeatedly. "What the...eat you, nobody here's going to eat you, lil' miss" Officer Higgins assured, "well...except for the cat, maybe." As if on cue; Cliff, the Loud Family's pet cat, caught sight of Gila and started sniffing the air.

The moment he caught the scent of fish on her, his face split into a hungry fang-toothed grin and he was readying himself to pounce. But then, Rita stepped in and started lightly spraying the cat with a squirt bottle; causing him to back away into the house. "See, Miss Grimwood; I knew I shouldn't have come" Gila whimpered, "everybody here's just gonna try and eat me!"

Once again, everyone was taken off guard by the wee creature's comment and asked her o explain herself. "Miss Gila and her father, Gill-Man (or as you know him best, The Creature from the Black Lagoon) are a species of fish creature" Miss Grimwood explained, "as such, she fears that one of (if not _all_ of you) will attempt to eat her." In response to this statement, several members of the crowd suddenly started to either gag or groan in disgust.

"You literally won't find a lot of us craving any fish, little missy" Lori assured, "now...my cat and father on the other hand...that's another matter." Mildly offended by this, Lynn Sr. said he only experimented with his cod recipe _once_. But when he saw that not many within his family enjoyed it, he chose to only cook it on request.

"Regardless, Miss Gila; none of us plan to hurt you" Lisa assured, "all that _I _ask is for a small bit of your scales...for scientific purposes." At first, everyone expected the young monster girl to be upset by the request. But not only did Gila go along with it, she also plucked one of these scales from atop her head; much to the crowd's disgust.

While this exchange was going on, the little alien couldn't help but scoff at it. "What do you plan on studying that for, human" she said dryly, "do you wish to bring truth to the theory that your species evolved from aquatic life?" While this insult mildly offended everyone, there was something about it that sounded...familiar in the alien girl's vocabulary.

To Lincoln, it all sounded like something Lisa would say to others (inadvertently or not.) Meanwhile, Zach found himself on the verge of having a meltdown...but in a good way. Standing before him was an honest to goodness alien life form.

She was small, almost about his height; she wore a blue suit with that seemed to resemble a dress, had a pair of green gloves over her hands, a matching green collar that was shaped like a triangle and a pair of dark-purple boots. She appeared relatively humanoid (save for her purplish-pink skin tone) and here eyes were a beautifully odd shade of green. In time, Miss Grimwood introduced this girl to everyone as Milly.

"In reality, I am known as M-149" the little alien girl stated, "we seldom use such names amongst one another back on Mars...but while on this planet, I felt it was necessary." As expected, this was met with a smidgen of disbelief from everyone; many proclaiming that aliens were nothing but a myth. "AWOOOO! Humans said the same thing about critters like me and Sibella" said the wolf girl, "but as you can see, _we're_ just as real as you guys!"

While she applauded her enthusiasm, Miss Grimwood urged this girl to keep her howling at a low volume; so as not to disturb Lincoln's sister. "This is Winnie, daughter of the Wolf Man" she stated, "she is one of our strongest, wildest and most athletic of girls." The moment this was announced; the Loud Family, without missing a beat, murmured "sounds like someone we know very well" in unison.

At the same time, Lynn approached the young werewolf and they exchanged a quick high-five. "So, you likes sports to" she asked, "what's your best one?" Winnie chuckled lightly at this and proclaimed she was good at just about any sport out there.

"I'm particularly good at Volleyball, track and a bit of wrestling" she chuckled, "especially against my cousins." Lynn found herself smiling even brighter, the more she listened; thinking she and this werewolf girl could become fast friends. The next to be introduced was the tall girl with the wild hairdo.

For the most part, she appeared human; despite how shabby her dark-green dress and light-green shirt looked. She had a blue sash or scarf wrapped around her waist and wore a pair of very chunky brown sandals on her feet. Her most notable traits were her hairstyle, stitches and neck bolts.

"Um...Forgive me if I sound rude for saying this" murmured Stella, "but are you any...'relation' to the famous...Frankenstein Monster?" Much to everyone's surprise; not only did the girl not take offense to the question, she also proclaimed the Monster to be her "Dada." "I'm afraid Elsa's tale is a complex and...somewhat tragic one" Miss Grimwood murmured, "to condense it; poor Elsa suffered a grave injury, long ago at the hands of an abusive family figure."

As proof her words rung true, she gestured at the stitches on Elsa's forehead; which Lisa surmised to be where the trauma delivered strongest. "Using the science of his creator, Elsa's 'father' managed to save her life" Miss Grimwood said with pride, "unfortunately, she has no memory of her old family and now sees the Monster as her only father." After letting all this process, everyone did everything they could not to cry.

"Moving along; along with Winnie, Elsa is one of our strongest students" Zanya stated, "but she prefers to hit the books instead of the field." This bit of news sparked a small glimmer of intrigue within Lisa, who hoped that Elsa could be a possible kindred spirit in science. The next girl to be introduced was Zanya, whom Miss Grimwood confessed had a story as equally tragic as Elsa's.

"See, my Daddy's a detective and he made some enemies with some..._very_ bad people" she murmured, "some of them vowed to hurt him in the worst possible ways." From here, she went into detail about the day of her death...and apparent rebirth. "One day, I was outside playing and this weird van speeds past my house" she began, "then...it rode onto the sidewalk and started zooming straight for me."

There were gasps aplenty from everyone, many of whom also cursed silently under their breath at the assailants; hoping they got what they deserved at one point. "I don't exactly know much about what happened after that" Zanya confessed, "except that my daddy told me he made sure to try and put in a few good shots at the bad guys with his gun." The Gal Pals couldn't help but chuckle a little at this bit of information, hoping that Zanya's dad got at least _one _of those creeps.

"Next thing I knew, Daddy brought into my house and he placed me onto a lab table" she confessed, "then, he helped reattach my limbs and Mommy gave me some kind of transfusion with some...weird green stuff." From this part of Zanya's story, Lisa had suspicions that her mother might've been a scientist of some kind. However, Lisa didn't know what manner of scientific study could've helped her bring someone back from the dead (or to quote Lincoln and Cristina's favorite book/film, "mostly dead.")

"If I may ask, young lady" Lisa inquired politely, "how was your mother able to achieve the means that helped turn you into...the living dead?" Regretfully, Zanya confessed that she didn't understand all the science behind her "zombification" as she called it. All that mattered to her was that her parents managed to save her life, in the end.

"So, you're like...a legit zombie" Phoebe asked hesitantly, "does that mean you...enjoy eating flesh?" It took everything Zanya had to keep herself from vomiting, after hearing such a suggestion. "EWW! Heck no, I'd never eat that" she groaned, "I _do _get very strong cravings...but not for flesh!"

It was here that she revealed that the cravings were the side effect from the "green stuff" that helped keep her alive. "So...you could quite literally starve to death, if you don't eat" Lori asked, "in that case, what exactly _do_ you like to eat?" As if expecting this sort of question, she placed her backpack on the ground and began rummaging through it.

Seconds later, she brought out a lunchbox full of carrot sticks, pomegranate slices, a packet of peanut butter crackers, a full-size dark chocolate bar and several rods of string cheese. "These are some of my favorite snacks" Zanya stated, "but what I really love is some cheese, any kind of cheese." The moment this thought came into mind, her stomach suddenly let out a soft growl; which meant that another craving was about to kick in.

Without delay, she tore open one of the string cheese rods and devoured it in seconds. Of course, the manner she did this was something similar to a lion tearing apart its prey. When she, eventually noticed everyone staring at her; Zanya realized what she was doing and giggled shyly.

"S-S-Sorry everyone" she murmured, "when I get hungry, I need to eat and I need to have a lot to feel full." No sooner had she said this, both Lynn Sr. and Rosa suddenly felt their eyes tear up. _"I never thought I would be given this opportunity again" _Rosa thought giddily, _"this will give the chance to try out a new quesadilla recipe I've been wanting to try!"_

At the same time, Lynn Sr. was raring to whip up his famous Lynn-sagna; even if it was just for one person. Finally; the last of these girls to be introduced was Tanis, daughter of the famous Mummy. When asked which one she was related to, she responded with "um...I think my Daddy's from Imhotep's family...but Daddy doesn't like to talk about him that much."

The whole time she spoke, Carol and her crew felt she was the most adorable thing on the planet. "I don't see why everybody's so scared of you mummies" Lana stated while approaching her, "I think you're pretty cool." Hearing all of this made Tanis feel rather happy while she suckled on her thumb.

"Tell us, Miss Tanis" Lola interjected, "how do you feel about tea parties or playing dress up?" With a joyful giggle, Tanis proclaimed that she always wanted to have a tea party. However, at the same time; she admitted that the only ones who would do that with her were Miss Grimwood or her father.

"Well, while you're in town; we could have some tea together" Lola offered, "I mean...once we're done with the decorating business first." Tanis smiled warmly at her, turned towards Miss Grimwood and asked if she could join her. "Of course, dear" the headmistress replied, "but why not explore the town a little first."

This bit of news greatly pleased Lincoln and the Gal Pals, who all offered up to be their guides for the tour. "That's an excellent idea, Lincoln" Rita stated, "but you should bring Carol's group along with you." At first, the Ghouls felt like refusing their company; proclaiming that they would be okay on their own.

But then, Miss Grimwood sided with the idea; stressing that they would require humans around to stand in their defense...should things become unsavory. "Okay, Miss Grimwood; we'll go along with them" Winnie said in acceptance, "besides, this'll be a good chance for us to learn how our pal and these ladies got together." With that settled, Carol and her crew took the front and led everyone down the neighborhood; leaving everyone else back at Lincoln's home.

"Now, then; Lincoln says you are in need of some proper ambience for your Halloween celebration" Miss Grimwood stated, "tell me what can I do to help?"

(First AN: And so it begins; Lincoln and the Gals will give the Ghouls of Grimwood a look at the town, while Miss G and the other adults set things up at home. What sort of tricks does the headmistress have to help spruce things up, will the Ghouls enjoy the tour and most importantly, will the Gal Pals find their company welcoming; now that they know what they truly are?

All these questions and more will be answered in Part Three of Halloween Hilarity)

(Second AN: A lot of the background info about some of the Ghouls *specifically the names and histories of Gila, Milly, Suki and Zanya* is the creation of Thefoxmage. Meanwhile; the character name of Mavis Dracula is from the Hotel Transylvania franchise. Said franchise is the creation of Sony Animation and Genndy Tartakovsky, while the backstory for Elsa is my own idea.

Everything else belongs to their respective owners; so...please, don't sue)

(Third AN: Speaking of Hotel Transylvania, Sibella's quote is a light reference to what the film's version of her father feels about drinking blood. Many films and TV shows have their vampire characters drink things other than blood. So, I hope you won't find Sibella drinking tomato juice to be unrealistic...so to speak)

(Fourth AN: The name of Sibella's mother, Vanna is based upon the character of the same name from Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf; which is...sort of set within the same universe as Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. Whereas Dracula's third wife, despite not being mentioned by name here, is Martha Dracula; a character from the first Hotel Transylvania film)

(Fifth AN: According to the Ghoul School Wiki, Phantasma's father is known simply as "The Phantom;" which would lead people to think of The Phantom of the Opera, Erik. But seeing as though he didn't quite look or sound like him, I made it so that he was a "phantom" of sorts...but only through radio serials from the old days. As for Phantasma being there while her father worked, she helped the music crew provide ambience for the stories they told on the air.

I hope all this will make sense to you, dear readers)

(Sixth AN: The "Mostly Dead" comment used to describe Zanya's current physical state is a reference to The Princess Bride, Lincoln and Cristina's favorite book/film; as mentioned in Reconnections)

(Final AN: The military school that Lincoln mentions is known as Calloway Military School, which is a military boarding school for boys that stands next door to Grimwood's. The school's students and their headmaster, Colonel Calloway, served as minor antagonists/academic rivals for Grimwood's students in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. However, they will not serve as the antagonist for this multi-part oneshot and will only have a slight connection with the true antagonist)


	16. Halloween Hilarity - Part Three

Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals – Part Three

(Story Summary: While Miss Grimwood and the adults attend to the decoration details at the Loud House, Lincoln and the Gal Pals take her students on a tour of town. Meanwhile, word of these preparations and the presence of the Grimwood Ghouls soon reaches the ears of one Biff Packard; the "big shot" of Royal Woods Junior High and Lincoln's newest bully. What plans does Biff and his cronies have in store for our heroes...and will the Gals and Ghouls be able to get along before the big night arrives?)

(A note to my readers: I'd like to apologize to anyone who felt Part Two was lacking any exciting or fun moments. Bear in mind, that part of this oneshot was meant to serve as a "breather chapter;" something to introduce the guest stars into the story. But now, the fun will really start to happen)

The time was now 4:30 in the afternoon, which meant that almost two and a half hours had passed since Miss Grimwood and her students arrived at Lincoln's home that day. After he introduced the Ghouls to everyone, he and Carol's crew decided to take them on a tour about town; to show them how _their_ community prepared for Halloween. During their walk; they saw that many of the houses, stores and even some parts of the suburban streets were decorated in all manner of macabre images.

"AW-RO-RO-RO! Your town really goes all out for the holiday, Linc" Winnie praised, "not as much as _we_ do back at school...but still." Surprisingly, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle in agreement; thinking that Halloween must be like Christmas for Miss G and the Ghouls. Meanwhile, Becky was in the midst of a personal conversation with Sibella on the "true nature of vampires."

"Okay...sorry if like this like, sounds invasive" she said hesitantly, "but I have to ask...is it real, that whole garlic thing?" Naturally, Sibella knew what she meant and said that it was indeed real. Due to the acidic chemicals within garlic cloves, the sent of it horribly agitates the senses of her people.

"What if you...you know, eat it somehow" Whitney asked hesitantly, "does it kill you right away?" Despite the rather morbid way the teen asked her question; Sibella responded in saying that while it doesn't instantly kill her, the taste of garlic often makes a vampire's throat swell. "However...there was this one time, on April Ghouls Day, where I pulled a most mischievous prank on my sister" she giggled naughtily, "I coated her Scream Cheese bagel with just a smidgen of garlic butter."

At first, the Gals felt horrified by this; thinking Sibella was trying to intentionally harm her sister. But the young vampiress assured them that Mavis was not harmed in any way. "You see, some vampires have painful reactions to garlic" Sibella explained, "but for others...it only affects their bowels."

For a brief moment, no one seemed to understand what she meant. But then, Lincoln put the pieces together and a heated blush formed across his face. "So...you're saying your sister was just...gassy that whole day" he asked uneasily, "Luan and Ronnie Anne might consider a 'weak sauce level' prank at best."

Upon hearing this statement, Phantasma floated over his head and told him that there was plenty of time to plan bigger tricks before the big night. "Okay, moving along" Whitney interjected, "what about all the other things about vampires...like a wooden stake through the heart, is _that_ true?" Instead of Sibella; _Winnie_ rolled her eyes slightly at this and proclaimed "who _wouldn't _get killed by that?"

"And what about sunlight" Dana interjected, "Haiku always tells us you need to stay in the dark or else...well, you know." With a soft smile on her face, Sibella revealed that sunlight _used_ to be an issue with vampires...but not anymore. "There are two ways we can protect ourselves" she stated, "either with sunhats or a specially designed brand of sun block."

With that said, she looked up and saw that the sun was about to peek through the mid-afternoon clouds. Thinking quickly, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small white bottle. Then, she squirted an odd-looking substance onto her palms and started spreading it lightly about her arms and face.

Feeling curious, Carol picked up the bottle and looked at the label; which read "SPF: 5022." "Five-thousand and twenty two" she cried, "that's gotta be stronger than what _I _used at the beach last summer!" Sibella chuckled softly and proclaimed that for vampires, it was just the right amount of protection from the morning sun. "What about your sun hat" Carol inquired, "do you have _that_ with you?"

Sibella shook her head in response, saying that she didn't think she would need such a thing for the Fall season. This in turn, caused Carol and her crew to smile broadly. "You know what this means, ladies" she said slyly, earning a slight nod from her friends, "TIME FOR SOME CLOTHES SHOPPING!" This bit of news not only caused Winnie and Zanya to roll her eyes but Lincoln as well.

"I suggest you go along with their plan, Sibella" the Loud boy murmured with a light grin, "it's hard to say 'no' to them when they're in a makeover mood." To drive his point home, he reminded the Grimwood Ghouls of similar moments _he_ experienced within the letters he wrote to them; specifically, moments where his sisters tried to perform a makeover on _him._ "Was all that before or _after _the bad stuff you mentioned that went down" Elsa inquired, "because it sounds like one of those rare good times you spoke of."

No sooner had she mentioned this, the whole group suddenly went silent. All too quickly, Elsa felt she might've said something wrong and quickly apologized. "No...No, it's alright" Lincoln assured, "it's just...a little hard to think back to those days again, even after so much time had passed."

While eager to know more, the Ghouls did their best not to seem too nosey about it. It was here that Carol decided that they would tell them everything while on their way to Reininger's. In the meantime, they Gals asked to know more about their guests. "So...Winnie, are you like...a werewolf _all the time_" Becky asked hesitantly, "because I thought people only turned into a werewolf during full moons."

The preteen ghoul chuckled softly at her inquiry and proclaimed she heard plenty of people ask the same thing. "Long story short, I was _born _as a werewolf pup; not as a human baby" she explained, "it happens during the rare times when a werewolf falls in love with a human." At this point, Winnie confessed she couldn't go any deeper into detail; stating that her papa would only give her the full information when she's older.

"That's okay, I think we get the idea" Whitney stated, "still...all that fur must be hard to manage, especially your hair." With a soft growl, Winnie confessed that she only has issues with her fur during two times in the year; the summertime and shedding season. "In the summer, my fur gets all...poofy and frizzy" she grumbled, "which makes me look like I just got struck by a serious static bolt."

No sooner had she said this, Whitney suddenly started cackling madly; which made her friends groan under their breath. "THANK YOU...THANK YOU" she cried, "finally, somebody who understands how annoying poofy hair can be at times!" Hearing all this caused Lincoln to giggle under _his_ breath; which didn't go unnoticed by the ladies, unfortunately.

"I...I'm sorry, sorry" he murmured while clearing his throat, "it's just...you ladies aren't the only ones with such a problem." From here; he confessed how his friend and classmate, Tonya, also had hair issues. "One time, right before picture day; she got all kinds of twigs and leaves stuck in _her _poof" Lincoln explained, "happened when this...freak gust of wind just blew in out of nowhere."

As if on cue; Carol, Whitney, Winnie and Sibella responded with "been there before." Upon sensing that they were on the same page, the ladies couldn't help but smile at one another; which Lincoln took as a good sign. Next, Dana proceeded to question Suki about _her_ father.

"My brother absolutely loves all of his movies" she confessed, "but...we always thought it was just some guy in a rubber suit stomping on a diorama of Japanese cities." Suki giggled softly at her explanation, remembering how most human knowledge of monsters came from films and TV. "The truth is, my father _is_ as powerful as those movies make him look" she stated, "but he only attacks whenever other Kaiju like him appears or when humans mess up the planet too much."

To drive her point home, Suki said that both these occurrences had one thing in common; whichever one happens, it throws the natural order out of balance. "So...you are saying your beastly father takes it upon himself to try and save this planet" Milly inquired, "seems rather tedious, especially when the humans 'reward' his actions with force rather than thanks." In response to this; Lincoln confessed that humans often did that, whenever they're faced with something they're afraid of or don't understand.

"That reminds me, we should keep the fact that you're real creatures under wraps...at least, for now" he whispered, "don't want to cause any accidental freak outs or have you ladies get hurt." The elder teens gushed adorably at Lincoln's protectiveness, thinking it made him seem rather gallant. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones who felt this way.

"Oh, Lincoln; we're more than capable of looking after ourselves in a pinch" Sibella said confidently, "but...it's sweet that you want to watch over us." No sooner had she said this, she proceeded to stroke his chin affectionately; like someone would do to a pet. Needless to say, it seemed to be doing the trick on Lincoln; who now sported a goofy squiggly smile on his face.

"Hey! Stop coddling him like that" exclaimed Dana, "only _we_ can do that...and sometimes the Gals _his_ age!" This exclamation caused the rest of the crew to blush deeply, which only made the Grimwood Ghouls laugh. "Wow...kinda possessive, ain't they" Winnie chuckled, "you must mean a lot to them, Linc."

After snapping out of his awestruck daze, Lincoln chuckled sheepishly and said that things weren't always that way "We can talk on that later, gang" Carol stated, "for now, let's continue our tour while we head off to the mall." After everyone sounded off in agreement, the group continued their tour.

(Line Break)

Over the next half hour or so, the Ghouls had seen a great deal of Royal Woods and thought it was a "charmingly cozy town" (much to their surprise.) They visited Ketchum Park, the Hole in One-derland mini golf course, all the different fusion food restaurants and even their old schools. "This is a nice town" Zanya murmured, "but...could we not linger too long by those restaurants, please; it's making my stomach growl."

The Gals hissed softly in realization and made a mental note to save a special place on their tour for last. Eventually, their trek led them to Flip's Food n' Fuel; a place Lincoln described where people could get cheap repairs at high prices. _"HEY! I resemble that remark there, chief" _a voice called out gruffly, _"I'm just tryin' to make a...semi-decent livin' in this world!"_

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over at the store and sensed that the voice came from somewhere in the garage. They hurried over and spotted the old shyster inside, who appeared to be pounding his fist against a small box on the wall. "Darn generator, happens every Halloween" Flip ranted, "how am I supposed to win the contest now?!"

The whole time he acted this way, the Gals couldn't help but groan softly in annoyance. "This happens every year" Lincoln murmured, "he plugs both his electronic decorations _and _his machines into the same faulty generator he's used for years!" To make things even more laughably ironic, he revealed that Flip purchased the cheapest model on the market; which could've been a battery powered one.

"Hmm...I see" murmured Elsa, "well, if he's having technical problems; maybe I can help." Flip suddenly stopped punching the generator, after hearing the girl's offer; which led everyone to think he would accept it. But instead, he turned her down; proclaiming that the work was "too tough" for a little lady.

"I'm tougher than you give me credit for, _Sir_...and quite resourceful too" Elsa assured, "all I'll need is a pair of jumper cables." This request not only left Flip feeling confused, it baffled Lincoln and Carol's crew as well. With a light shrug of his shoulders, the middle-aged man collected a pair of cables and handed them to Elsa.

Upon taking a look at her appearance, Flip scrunched up his nose and furrowed his brow in confusion. _"Here I thought I've seen all the Frankenstein getups" _he thought mentally, _"this girly looks like the Bride durin' her High School years."_ Meanwhile, Elsa made her way over to the generator with the cables in hand; ready to begin her work.

"Um...sorry if I sound stupid here" murmured Becky, "but how do you plan on fixing the generator with just a pair of cables?" The young Frankensteinian teen chuckled softly at her inquiry and claimed she wasn't intending on "fixing it," she was going to recharge it. It was here that she attached one end of the cables to the generator and the other end to her neck bolts.

"Okay...better step back a few steps, guys" Elsa ordered, "this could get messy." Not needing to be told twice; the Gals, Lincoln and Flip stepped outside of the garage. Once she had the proper room, Elsa took in a few deep breaths and clenched her eyes shut. Then, she began to growl softly under her breath; all while scrunching up her brow tightly.

For a brief moment, Carol thought that Elsa was having some sort of aneurysm; until she noticed small sparks flickering off her neck electrodes. Meanwhile, Flip still appeared rather lost and was moments away from telling Elsa to step aside. "Leave her alone, Flip" Whitney ordered, "she knows what she's doing."

In spite of the teen's moxy, Flip still refused to budge; betting that if she turned out to be right; he'd give her whole group a month's worth of free Flippees. "The girls can have those" Winnie stated, "as for _me, _I want one of those hot dogs roasting on the rotisserie instead!" The Gals couldn't help but chuckle a little at this statement, mostly towards the irony in a werewolf wanting to eat a hot dog.

"Um...sorry to be the bearer of bad news, lil' wild child" Whitney stated, "but those dogs are as rotten as Wall Street." Surprisingly, Winnie didn't seem to mind this news; proclaiming that gas station food was "the best kind of rotten food out there." "Okay, wolf girl; I dunno if this is some kinda Halloween joke you're pullin'" Flip grumbled, "but could we ease up on the rotten food thing...if anyone hears ya, they'll call the Health Inspector and I'll have to pay a fine!"

Before anything else could be said, a massive crackle noise sounded off; as well as a strained groan coming from Elsa. Then, everyone could see the lights flickering softly; which meant that...whatever she was doing was actually working. "I dunno what you're doin' there, girly" Flip stated, "but whatever it is...keep it goin'!"

Not needing to be told twice, Elsa took in a deep breath and poured on as much of her power she could give. Then, as her bolts started surging with electricity; the lights of both the garage and the convenience store suddenly turned on. "Hee-hee-hee! Wait to go, Elsa" Phanty laughed happily, "we knew you could do it...well, except for the humans."

Speaking of whom; the Gals and Lincoln stared in dumbstruck silence at their friend; who appeared relatively unfazed after generating several hundred volts worth of electricity through her body. Meanwhile; Flip, who looked like a hungry frog with his mouth hanging agape, proceeded to make his way into his establishment. "Welp, ladies...a deal's a deal" he murmured, "looks like free Flippees all around...and a hot dog for the girl in the wolf costume."

With a disgruntled growl, Winnie was moments away from telling the man she wasn't wearing a costume. But then, Lincoln quickly shushed her; reminding her about keeping a low profile...for now. Reluctantly, she went along with his wishes and held her tongue about her true identity.

"Make sure to put on plenty of that green stuff on it, mack" Winnie called out, "what do ya call it...guac?" Flip nodded in understanding and hurried inside the store, leaving the ladies and Lincoln outside to wait. "Okay...I just have to ask you something, Elsa" questioned Carol, "How in the hey were able to do _that_ and survive?"

The Frankenstein teen chuckled softly and responded in saying that electricity was her "life blood." "After my Dada brought me back to life the same way _he_ was given life, electricity doesn't bother me all that much" she explained, "but I can't exactly control how much power I need to harness very well." After everyone shared a quick chuckle, Carol pointed at the lit up store and said "looks like you were in control to me."

(Line Break)

We leave behind our heroes for a brief moment, as the scene now takes us to the Royal Woods Mall. There we find Biff Packard and his two cronies, Vicky and the punk rock kid; who were seen coming out of a costume shop with armfuls of bags. "Oh, boy; I think we've got all the stuff we need to win the contest, Biff" the punk rock kid said, "we've got enough fake blood, fake body parts and creepy stuff to make the rats wanna flee from your house."

At first, the punk kid expected his "leader" to reward him for his words of praise. But while Biff found half of them appealing, he still slapped him in the back of the head; scolding him for the rats comment. "But you're right, though" Biff said with a confident grin, "and once we win, we'll make our Halloween party the single most exclusive shindig in all of Michigan!"

As the final nail in the coffin, he proclaimed that if any kids wanted to join the party; they'd have to surrender every bit of candy they got from trick R' treating. "HA! Great idea, Biffy" Vicky cackled, "who needs to walk door-to-door for candy when you can just fleece it outta everybody in town?" With that said, they proceeded to make their way out to the parking lot.

But then; just as they started to think victory was assured for Biff, the punk kid brought up a small flaw in his plan. "Are ya sure we can really do this, Biff" he asked cautiously, "because the competition may be pretty stiff this year...especially if _she's_ gonna be part of it." It didn't take long for Biff and Vicky to understand whom their friend was referring to; the town's resident Mistress of the Macabre, Lucy Loud.

"Word on the street is she and her siblings once spooked a couple of big bruisers from Hazeltucky" the punk kid stated, "if they can do _that..._there's a chance you might lose, Biff." As much as he wanted to discipline his friend for failing to keep quiet, once again; the young jock realized he had a point. "My little sister went Trick R' Treating at his freak house, last Halloween...and she called it the best place on the block" Vicky sneered, "in which case, we may be in trouble."

Hearing all this "praise" for the Loud Family's Halloween décor fueled Biff's hatred for Lincoln even stronger, which was already pretty fierce before. "I still have a score to settle with Loud, after what he did to me at school" he said with a vicious scowl, "what better way to do that than to utterly humiliate his freak of a little sister?" His colleagues snickered wickedly in agreement and vowed to either win the contest for themselves or shake down all the kids for their Halloween candy.

Whatever plan they went with, one thing would be certain; in the end, Lincoln and those with him would have the worst Halloween of their lives. With that wicked plan in mind, the trio resumed lugging their bags off to the parking lot. But just as they reached one of the cars, Biff looked ahead and saw the "object of his hatred" heading towards the front entrance of Reininger's.

He also noticed the group of ladies walking alongside him, half of which appeared to be dressed in...incredibly lifelike costumes (in _his_ eyes, at least.) "Those look like High School or College kids" the punk kid stated, "what the heck are _they_ doin' with a loser like Loud?" As surprising as it seemed, Biff was on the same page as his friend.

How on earth did Lincoln get connections with people as old as his oldest sisters? Perhaps, he talked some theater kids into helping him set up his house for Halloween. "With costumes like _those_ the judges will go wild" Vicky murmured worriedly, "which means...we could lose!"

Upon hearing the "L" word, Biff's face started to blaze red with anger. It was there he decided to "investigate" on what Lincoln and Co. were "plotting." Thus, he commanded his cronies to follow his lead into Reininger's and see what was up. _"I can't put my finger on why" _Biff thought to himself intently, _"but something about those...'monster girls' seems familiar."_

(Scene Change: Reininger's Dressing Rooms)

Meanwhile, inside of the store; Carol and her crew were already going to work on finding new threads for the Grimwood Ghouls. In Carol's mind; she thought that if they shared her mutual admiration for Lincoln, they might have her same love of fashion as well. Sadly, whenever she or Dana brought out something _they_ thought was cute; the Ghouls cast it aside.

"Don't you humans have anything good on display" questioned Winnie, "like shirts that itch, tattered raincoats or even some pants with holes in the legs?" Upon hearing each example, the Gals weren't sure if she was being serious or just messing with them. As if sensing their confusion, Zanya approached them and decided to give it to them straight.

"I can't speak for myself because...well, I used to be human before" she stated, "but my ghoul friends here...they're more into anything that's weird, horrific, rotten or just plain gross." After letting all this info sink in, Linc and the Gals gasped loudly in realization. Now, it all made sense; monsters always felt drawn to anything outside the norm (such as Winnie wanting a possibly spoiled hot dog at Flip's.)

"So...I'm guessing that's a no on the sunhat, then" Dana asked, "guess this means our makeover idea was a bust." With that, she was prepared to head over to the cashier and pay for all the things _she_ purchased. But then, Lincoln stopped her and insisted that there _could_ be something in the store that's right up Sibella's alley.

Then, at that moment; a voice called out to them suddenly from behind. The group turned around and saw Leni at the desk with Fiona and Miguel at her side. "Hey, Lincoln; that looks like your big sister" Tanis stated, "does she work here?" With a quick nod; the young Loud boy explained how Leni gained the job after Ms. Carmichael, the store's owner, saw how kindly she treated the patrons.

"Those two with her are her work friends, Miguel and Fiona" Dana added, "they're also pretty tight with _us_ as well." After hearing all this, a hopeful smile slowly formed on Tanis' face; hoping that they could become _her_ friends too. After hearing Leni give one final call, the gang made their way over to say hello.

But once Miguel got a look at the Ghouls, he suddenly sensed an odd feeling of amazement and mild uneasiness swell up inside of him. Meanwhile, Fiona was lost in awe at how Sibella looked; calling her dress and hairstyle deliciously creepy. "So, guys; what can I help you with" Leni offered, "looking for anything in particular?"

Without missing a beat, Lincoln asked her if the store had any sunhats available; specifically ones that were more Sibella's "style." "If you're asking if we sell any Goth wear here, I'm afraid you came to the wrong place" Miguel replied, "but...seeing as how it's Halloween, I think we could find _something_ for your girl here." With that, he led Sibella over to the hat section of the store; leaving the rest of the Ghouls with Fiona and Leni.

"I gotta say, I really like your looks" the former said with a light smile, "I especially love the adorable bow on your mummy friend's head." Upon hearing the compliment, the wee mummy smiled up at Fiona and thanked her. "So, are you ladies from outta town" she asked, "don't think I remember seeing the likes of you here."

After taking a moment to consider his words, Lincoln explained that the group was a collection of pen pals he'd been writing to over the past year. "We're not actually _from _here, truth be told" Milly stated, "some of us come from places...far beyond the reaches of this little town." Naturally, this little statement freaked Fiona out a little; which prompted the rest of the gang to remind her to keep up her low profile.

"Truth is, we're all students from a finishing school down in the Midwest" Zanya explained, "our pen pal, Lincoln here contacted our headmistress recently; said he needed help setting up for Halloween." Fiona blinked her eyes in confusion at this reveal and asked how Lincoln was given that responsibility. "From what Mrs. C's kid tells her, your little sister does that job every year" she stated, "is anything wrong?"

With a soft sigh, Lincoln revealed that his sister got sick with a cold and the family voted _him_ to be her replacement for this year's celebration. "Truth is, though...I don't know _anything_ about putting on a scary display" he confessed, "so, I called on my friends here for some help." Fiona found herself nodding in understanding; recalling the time she sought out help from Leni's school friends, Jackie and Mandee during a huge blow-out sale.

At that moment; Miguel and the girls came back with something in their hands, a black sun hat with a wide, floppy brim. "It was one of the last ones we could find" Winnie called out, "but I think it might just be what Sibella's lookin' for." To see if her words were true, Sibella took a seat at the desk and positioned herself in front of a small mirror.

As the young vampiress prepared herself to try on the hat, Miguel and Fiona decided to have a chat with Lincoln. "So, Lil' Loud; these ladies give you the magic touch you needed" inquired Fiona, "because I want to see all that 'cool creepy stuff' Leni always tells me and Miguel about after Halloween's over." Intrigued by this reveal, Lincoln asked her if she ever felt compelled to check out the festivities for herself.

"Nah, not really" Fiona said immediately, "Halloween seems like a little kid's thing; getting into costumes, eating candy and goofing off." Almost immediately, Miguel sounded off in agreement to her words; while adding that Mrs. Carmichael hardly lets them off work on that night.

"Aw! C'mon, guys" Winnie urged, "there's loads more to Halloween than just all _that_ usual stuff." Tanis nodded in agreement to her friend and said how every year, their fathers would come to the school for a visit. "There's dancing, games, food" she listed, "and we even get to show what we worked on over the school year to our daddies."

While she found it...a little strange that the girls' fathers would choose to visit on Halloween night of all times, there was something about Tanis that Fiona found simply precious. "She's right, you know" Sibella interjected while tilting the hat on her head slightly, "Halloween is a great time for us ghouls, where we can show off who we are in the best of ways." Naturally, hearing the girl address her group as "ghouls" left Fiona and Miguel feeling a tad confused.

But after a few seconds, they just shrugged their shoulders and thought "each to their own." Then, just when they thought things couldn't get any stranger; they looked at the mirror Sibella was using and gasped. Even though she was still seated in her chair, neither of the teens saw her reflection in the mirror.

What they _did_ see was the hat seemingly floating in the air, which made them feel all the more freaked out. "Hmm...This is quite ghoulish" Sibella murmured, "but the color doesn't quite match my style." Without a moment's pause; Phantasma floated over and suggested that maybe, Miss Grimwood could help change it for her.

"That _is_ worth looking into" Sibella stated, "in that case, I shall purchase this hat; how much do I owe you?" Just as she said this, Dana immediately intervened; proclaiming that _she _would pay for the hat. "You're a guest in our town, Sibella; same as the rest your friends" she said firmly, "therefore, _we _will do what we can to help make your time here pleasant...er, I mean...well, you know."

Sibella smiled lightly at her, nodded in understanding and thanked Dana for her generosity. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group; Biff and his crew watched the whole scene before them while hiding within one of the clothing racks. "Dudes...did you see that" murmured the punk rock kid, "that vamp chick didn't cast no reflection in the mirror."

Vicky seconded his observation, bringing up all the "knowledge" she had gained over the years from reading about vampires. Granted, she got all this from trashy supernatural romance novels but she still considered it valid. "It could just be a faulty mirror is all" Biff whispered, "still...there _does_ seem to be more to these girls than meets the eye."

Soon after he said this, some people walked by and the group could hear them saying some things about Flip's place. They spoke about how one of the girls from Lincoln's group seemingly helped restore power to the store, after the generator died out. "I think he said one of the girls did something with the jumper cables" one of the crowd members stated, "claims she...attached one end of them to her neck bolts and actually helped recharge his generator."

Naturally, this story caused those beside this individual to burst out in uproarious laughter. At the same time, Biff's cronies couldn't help but snicker a little as well. But they were quickly yet quietly silenced by their leader. "Quiet, you idiots; you want us to get caught" he hissed, "that being said...the guy's story is worth looking into."

Before Biff could talk anymore on the matter, he suddenly heard the voices of Lincoln and his lady friends approaching. After giving his friends a soft hiss, they became as quiet as church mice. _"Fangs a lot for the hat, Fiona"_ Sibella's voice said in gratitude, _"we hope to see you again soon."_

Following her lead, the rest of the Ghouls sounded off their own greetings; while Carol hugged them both goodbye. _"Good luck on your preparations, lil' man"_ Miguel's voice stated, _"I might actually consider popping by...just to see what you've whipped up."_ Fiona echoed in agreement with her friend and co-worker, while fretting about not being able to come up with a good costume for the engagement.

_"Don't you worry, Fiona"_ Leni assured, _"with my outfit designing skills and my little brother's ideas, we could think of something."_ With that, she wished everyone a safe trip home and said she would be home by suppertime. The next thing that could be heard were the sounds of the door chimes going off, indicating that the groups had left.

After that, all was quiet; save for the light chatter being exchanged between Miguel and Fiona. _"So, what'cha think of the lil' man's new friends"_ the former asked, _"I think they're...pretty weird, cool...but weird."_ Leni couldn't help but chuckle a little at him, while also mentioning how much he kept giving Sibella the love-struck puppy stare.

_"Okay...you got me"_ he chuckled sheepishly, _"but still, their costumes looked so...realistic and how weird was it that Sibella's face didn't show up in the mirror?"_ Fiona scoffed lightly at the idea, proclaiming that he might've been seeing things. _"Still, they aren't the kind of girls you see around here"_ she murmured, _"will your brother be okay around them?"_

Leni smiled warmly at her bestie's concern for Lincoln and hugged her gratefully. _"Linky will be fine, I know it"_ she assured, _"besides...he's been so used to my sister, Lucy's quirks that such things don't quite bother him as much."_ After hearing all this, Vicky didn't know whether to vomit or to call the "men in the white coats."

"Hold that thought" Biff said suddenly, "after seeing that thing with the mirror and hearing those people talk about what that girl with the weird hair did at Flip's, I think I've got an idea about who those chicks are." Eager to learn more, the two teens leaned in close to hear him clearly. But before Biff could speak a word, the coats they were hiding behind suddenly split up; revealing a rather bothered Fiona and Miguel.

"Were you planning on buying any of these shirts...or are y'all just hiding around like a bunch of creepers" the latter teen asked, "think carefully before you answer." Just as Biff was about to respond, the punk kid proclaimed they were spying on Lincoln's new friends; to see if they were "on the up and up." "Wrong answer, bub" Fiona said firmly, "I think it's time you all left."

In an attempt to stay the teenager's wrath, Biff used his "charm" to try and woo her (or at least, lower her guard a little.) In the end, it only led to Fiona and Miguel pushing a button beneath the reception desk. Seconds later, Biff and his cronies were roughly tossed out the store by a pair of security guards.

"You three are all banned until New Year's Day" Fiona exclaimed, "if we catch you creepin' around here again, we'll have our boss call the police!" After that, she made her way back into the store; causing the sliding doors to slam shut. With their heads spinning, their clothing mussed up and their pride broken slightly; the trio felt almost inclined to call it quits.

"No way, guys" Biff said firmly, "we won't let this hiccup stop us from humiliating Loud and taking the title of Best Halloween Planners for ourselves!" Despite his enthusiasm, Vicky felt certain they would lose in the end. "Face it; even _if_ his little sister is sick like he said; Loud has us outmatched" she murmured, "he's got all his other sisters, talented friends half our age...and who knows what those weird girls have up their sleeves."

While there was some truth in her words, Biff wasn't willing to accept defeat. "I now know who those chicks were" he proclaimed, "one of them mentioned the name 'Miss Grimwood' earlier, which could be the same woman who runs that weird finishing school in the Midwest." Upon hearing this information, the punk kid asked how it was connected to their current situation.

"I have a cousin who goes to Calloway Military School, which is right next door to Grimwood's" Biff explained, "he said those girls used all sorts of weird tricks to beat him and his team at their annual volleyball game." He then explained that victory would've been _theirs _again, had it not been for their hippie gym teacher and his pet dogs. "More to the point, my cousin said he saw them do some weird things" Biff stated, "such as seeing the purple chick turn into a bat."

At first, he expected his colleagues to call him a liar. But after what they saw in the store and heard from the one patron, they weren't quite sure _what _to believe in anymore. "So...what are you saying, Biff" questioned the punk kid, "do ya really think Loud could have real monsters for 'friends?'" Admittedly; while the idea seemed absurd to _him_ as well, the young jock felt that it was still a strong possibility.

"Any kid who isn't freaked out by such creepy people is totally messed up in the head" Vicky murmured, "which makes Loud the weirdest kid of them all." Biff grumbled softly in agreement, while also thinking about what he heard earlier. "Something weird is going on in the Woods, this Halloween" he murmured, "and it's time _we_ get to the bottom of it."

With that, he and his cronies began to put together a scheme; one that would not only ruin Lincoln's chances at creating a winning Halloween theme for his house...but also expose his "friends" to the rest of the town (if not the world.)

(Line Break)

Sometime after leaving Reininger's, it was getting close to dinnertime and Lincoln was in the midst of calling his parents to let them know he was heading home. But when his mother answered, she revealed that their work on the house was taking longer to do than everyone anticipated. "Because of this, Lori's taking your sisters off to Jean-Juan's for dinner tonight" Rita explained, "would you like for me to send someone to drop you off there?"

As if on cue; Carol quickly stepped in and informed Mrs. Loud that they had already had something in mind, Gus' Games n' Grub. "Granted, having dinner there wasn't originally in our game plan" she admitted, "we were just going to show the Ghouls here around the place...as well as take a little nostalgia trip." Rita couldn't help but coo adorably at her statement; in some ways, the place held special significance for Lincoln's group.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea" she stated, "I just hope the ghouls will like it...particularly Sibella." Upon hearing this statement, the young Dracula girl questioned why she would not enjoy Gus'. "Well...we're not exactly sure if you ladies are familiar with arcades" Lincoln murmured uneasily, "but the main reason is simple, we're worried the smell of garlic knots might bother your...allergies."

Sibella's eyes suddenly widened with realization, upon hearing this reveal. Though she was not quite familiar with what "Garlic Knots" were, she knew that anything flavored with garlic could prove hazardous to her. Then, at that moment; Miss Grimwood appeared on the screen and decided to help provide a solution to her problem.

Before anyone had the chance to speak up; the headmistress snapped her fingers and then, everyone could suddenly see Sibella's nose giving off a green glow. "There we are" Miss Grimwood said with satisfaction, "with this spell, your sinuses shall be protected from the garlic's aroma...just make sure not to sample any of them." Sibella nodded in understanding and gave her teacher a "Scout's Honor" salute; while Carol's crew vowed to keep an eye on her.

"Thank you very much, everyone" Miss Grimwood said gratefully, "oh...and one more thing, girls; while you were away, I received word from your fathers." From here, she mentioned that they would arrive later in the week; which caused the ghouls to giggle/cackle madly with joy. "Quick question, Ma'am" Lincoln asked politely, "will they be arriving at the school...or will they be coming into town?

Straightaway, Miss Grimwood revealed they would be coming to Royal Woods for the meet and greet. "At first, some like Sibella's father felt it was risky for us to meet amongst humans" she stated, "but I explained to the count and the rest of the parents that this would be an excellent way to test the waters for interspecies relations." Understandably so, the kids felt nervous about the idea; fearing that even the smallest mishap could cause a scene.

"Don't worry about it now, girls" Miss Grimwood urged, "just enjoy your time with everyone and I will see you soon." With that said, both sides shared their goodbyes and the phone line went dead. Afterwards, the Ghouls took a moment to observe the scenery around them with looks of awe and slight confusion (mostly on Milly and Gila's part.)

"I haven't been to an arcade since before my accident" Zanya exclaimed, "this is gonna be fun!" While the rest of her crew hoped she was correct, they asked why Lincoln and his friends brought them here of all places. "I think I remember Lincoln mentioning something about this place one of his letters" Tanis answered, "he said this was where his whole 'adventure' with his lady friends started."

Without hesitation, Carol happily confirmed that the wee mummy's words were true; while also adding that she didn't originally _intend_ on visiting the establishment that faithful night. "Granted, I heard of this place a lot from my friends here" she stated, "but I've never been inside...until recently." Despite however sentimental the story sounded, Milly confessed that she didn't quite "understand" the appeal of Gus'.

"All the noise, odd smells and the frantic behavior you humans show towards these silly games" she listed, "it all seems rather juvenile." Rather than be put off by the Martian's comment, Lincoln offered up one simple phrase as his rebuttal; don't knock it till you've tried it." With that, everyone went their separate ways; eager try out just about everything.

But unbeknownst to him; the punk rock kid from Biff's crew was sitting at a nearby booth, watching them closely. "Just you wait, freaks" he murmured, "first chance I get...I'm gonna expose you and have you kicked outta town." After making this vow, he raised his hand up and asked for someone to bring him a basket of fresh garlic knots.

(Line Break)

Over the next half-hour or so, the ladies and Lincoln were having the time of their lives. Elsa and Becky danced up a storm together on Dance Battle, Winnie managed to get the highest score at the hop game (thus beating Lynn's record.) Gila and Sibella took a few pictures in the photo booth with Phoebe (even though only Sibella's hat showed up in the middle.)

Meanwhile; Milly, after making careful calculations, managed to snag a prize at the claw game and Zanya was playing a first-person zombie shooter game. When Stella caught sight of this, she couldn't help but ask if playing it felt...odd to Zanya. "No way, girlfriend" the young zombie stated, "I may be a zombie...but I was _human_ first and any zombie that acts hostile towards humans gets taken down!"

After making this decree, Zanya laughed madly while shooting away at the oncoming zombie hordes; much to the mild confusion of Stella. Elsewhere, Suki wanted to try her hand at a racing game...but couldn't seem to fit herself properly in the seat. So, she decided to try a hand at Whack-a-Weasel with Lincoln.

"Now, remember; you don't have to smash them" he explained, just tap them on the head...but you gotta be quick." No sooner had he said this, the game started up and the plastic weasels started popping out from their holes. At first, this sudden occurrence startled Suki but it didn't last long.

Then, she held the foam mallet within her right paw and did her best to memorize the pattern of where the weasels appeared; while also keeping memory of how fast they popped up. After a while; Suki got the groove down and soon, she went to work. As carefully and gingerly as she could, the young Kaiju tapped her mallet against every weasel she spotted.

Sadly, she didn't seem to be doing quite as well as Lincoln; who appeared to be bopping weasels with a relative ease. "C'mon Suki, you can do this" she murmured, "just hit as many as you can find." With that said, Suki swung down her mallet and...she struck one of the first weasels that popped up.

"Nice one" Lincoln cried out with delight, "just keep doing that and you might earn some points." Inspired by her friend's confidence in her; Suki made another attempt to hit a weasel, only to miss it by just an inch. A split second later, another one appeared and she managed to strike it square on the head.

As the game progressed; despite missing several weasels, Suki was still thoroughly enjoying herself. But then, just as the game slowly reached its end; Suki was filled with such an adrenaline rush that she bellowed out a belted out a more...high-pitched version of Godzilla's iconic roar. Naturally, this sound attracted quite a bit of attention from the other patrons.

But as surprising as _that_ was, what happened next certainly raised a few eyebrows. As Suki kept playing, she was so caught up in the rush that she soon lost control...and smashed her foam mallet hard atop one of the weasel's heads. After hearing the sounds of wild electronic beeping and the crack of plastic, Suki immediately snapped out of her daze and saw what she had done.

Then, before she knew it; the machine suddenly started spewing out paper things from a small slot like water from a broken faucet. "Oh, no...no-no-no-no-no" Suki murmured frantically, "I'm so sorry I broke the machine...I don't know what came over me." After that, she turned towards the crowd behind her and started bowing low in apology; all while muttering_ "Gomen'nasai"_ repeatedly.

As she kept apologizing to everyone, a waitress approached her and did her best to calm Suki down. "It's okay, young...lady" she said sympathetically, "you'd be surprised by how many people here often go...a little too far while playing this game." As if expecting this sort of statement; Lincoln brought up all the times his sister, Lynn went too far at the arcade games.

"But...But then, what about those things coming out of the machine" Suki asked, "is that supposed to happen?" With a bright smile on her face, the waitress explained that the things she saw were prize tickets; which could be exchanged at the prize wall for different items. She then gestured at the wall in question; which was filled with all manner of toys, electronic games and there was even a selection of sweatshirts hanging there as well.

This news all seemed to please Suki, mostly because it meant she wasn't going to get in trouble. At the same time, however; she didn't know what to use her tickets for. "It all looks really nice" she murmured, "but I don't really play with toys and those shirts look...too small for me."

As she continued to stare at the prize wall, scratching her chin in thought; a little girl (about Lana and Lola's age) approached the desk and placed _her_ tickets down. "Here are all the tickets I've won" she said adorably, "may I have the stuffed kitty, please?" Feeling curious, Suki looked up at the wall and saw a giant plush cat doll hanging seated in the middle.

But what she also noticed was the number of tickets required to receive it, which was approximately four hundred of them and the little girl only seemed to have twenty. With a heavy heart, the employee managing the prize wall looked down at the girl and told her the bad news. Upon seeing the little human frowning so sadly and taking note of her own collection of tickets, Suki came up with an idea.

"Little girl, would you like to use _my _tickets to get your toy" she offered kindly, "I don't really need them." The girl looked up, saw the pile beside Suki and gasped in surprise. With that many, she could definitely get her toy. "Are ya sure" the little girl asked, "I don't wanna take your stuff from you."

Suki smiled warmly at her and, without a moment's pause, slid her pile of tickets over to her side. "I don't really need my tickets, truthfully" she admitted, "so...this should be more than enough for your cat doll, little one." The little girl gasped in awe at the wee Kaiju's gesture, leapt up into her arms and hugged her tight in thanks; which caused the entire crowd to gush adorably.

Meanwhile; the prize wall employee, who was also smiling from the scene, collected the doll from behind him and handed it to the little girl. "Thank you...thank you both so much" she said gratefully, "have a happy Halloween, Dino Girl!" With that, she picked the doll up and hurried off to meet back up with her mother.

For a moment or so, Suki remained frozen in place with shock; trying her best to process what had just transpired. From the day she hatched, never before in her whole life had a human showed such affection towards her. Then, just when she thought the surprises ended there; the sound of hearty applause suddenly rang through Suki's ears (or lack thereof.)

She turned around and saw Lincoln and the Gals cheering her; which signaled for many of the other patrons to do the same. Though slightly confused by all this, Suki still did the respectable thing and bowed in thanks to everyone.

(Line Break)

After having their fill of games for the moment, the Gals and Ghouls decided to sit down for a nice meal. But just as the waitress arrived with a pair of warm pizza pies, Zanya promptly stopped Carol from reaching for her change purse. "Please, Carol; I insist" she said firmly, "your friends were already kind enough to buy Sibella's hat for her, the least one of _us_ can do is help go Dutch; if ya know what I mean."

Within seconds, Carol gave a reluctant sigh (while also smiling) and consented to the zombie girl's wishes. "But I'm only letting you do it _once_ while you're here" she said firmly, "and only because we're friends." This sudden declaration caused the Grimwood Ghouls to softly gasp in surprise.

Then, after a moment or two of silence; Tanis looked up at the four teenage girls and asked if they truly _were_ friends now. "Look...when we first heard about you, I'll admit that we were...a bit jealous" Becky confessed with a sigh, "the idea that Linc was telling strangers from across the country about his troubles was admittedly, a little concerning." The Ghouls murmured lightly amongst themselves, understanding that the Gal Pals were simply worried for their friend.

"Of course; with _that_ news in mind, we couldn't help but feel jealous" Carol added, "after being by Lincoln's side through so much this past year, we've grown pretty close." Lincoln smiled warmly at his head guardian and rewarded her sweet words with a big hug, which she wholeheartedly returned. "Plus, it certainly didn't help things when Sibella acted a little flirty towards Linky; every now and again" Dana grumbled with a pout, "just be glad Jordan, Cristina...or even Ronnie Anne didn't see it all."

After hearing this information, Sibella let out a light chuckle and assured them that Lincoln was quite alright. "Don't get me wrong, I now see why you all care about him so much" she said while playfully toying with his cowlick, "but...I'm just not ready to follow in my sister's footsteps just yet." Mildly confused by her statement, the Gals asked what her sister had done.

"To make a long story short, she also befriended a young human" Sibella explained, "but that friendship swiftly grew into a strong love and then...they got married and had a child together." After that; she took out her phone and revealed a picture of her sister, Mavis with her husband and son. "Wait..._that_ girl is married" Whitney asked, "your sister looks like she could be in High School."

With a light laugh; Sibella revealed that for a vampire 118 years _was_ considered quite young. Of course, this news almost caused Lincoln to choke on his soda; it was so surprising. "Hold on...back up, she's a hundred and eighteen" Becky asked in astonishment, "then...how old are _you_, Sibella?"

After giving another light chuckle, she revealed herself to be 116; only two years shy from her sister. "Wow...you vampires really look good for your ages, if I may say so" Carol gushed, "I mean, I just love how your cheekbones pop." After that compliment, both groups indulged in a most delightful conversation while sampling their meal.

Meanwhile, just about three booths ahead of _them;_ Biff and his crew found themselves gawking at the ghouls in astonishment. When they finally snapped back to their senses, they held their menus up over their faces; so that they could whisper amongst themselves. "Did you guys hear that" murmured the punk rock kid, "that purple chick said she's a hundred and sixteen!"

Vicky nodded in agreement and proclaimed that such a statement should confirm that Lincoln's new "friends" were indeed, monsters. "You may be right, Vick" murmured Biff, "but if we want to expose these girls _and_ beat out Loud, we're gonna need some proof." As the jock sat in his seat thinking, a waitress arrived and placed a basket of garlic knots at his table.

It was then that he got the perfect idea to expose the girls...or at least, _one_ of them. Of course, he couldn't risk anyone interfering with his scheme (specifically Lincoln.) Thus, he waited until he and his lady friends went off to wash their hands before eating.

This left the Ghouls on their own at their booth, which gave Biff the perfect chance to strike. He plucked one of the garlic knots from his basket, dusted it clean of all signs of green garlic crumbs and even used a napkin to dab away all the traces of garlic butter that coated the pastry. Once finished, it looked like a perfectly harmless piece of knotted dough.

"What me work, everybody" Biff murmured with a confident chuckle, "that vamp girl won't know what hit her!" With that said, he cleared his throat and made a casual walk over to the Ghouls' booth with the garlic knot in hand. Immediately, Sibella noticed his approach and waved at him; greeting the jock in a respectable way.

"Thank you kindly, young lady" Biff stated, "listen...I heard about what's been happening with Lou...I mean, Lincoln and I think it's admirable that you came all this way to help him." The Ghouls murmured humbly at his words, proclaiming that they were happy to help a friend like Lincoln. "That's very commendable" Biff said with a fake grin, "such selflessness deserves to be rewarded."

With that, he bowed his head and presented that garlic knot unto Sibella like a gentleman would a rose. Now, the young vampiress wasn't entirely familiar with the look of such confectionaries and thought Biff's gesture as rather sweet. "Fang you very much, young man" she stated, "I would be happy to accept your gift."

With that; Biff smiled at her (a slight yet wicked smile,) placed the garlic knot into Sibella's palm and bade her good afternoon before returning to his booth. Meanwhile, the others each had different feelings towards the kid's gesture. Some (like Zanya and Milly) saw it as rather suspicious, believing that it harbored the aura of malicious intention.

Others (like Tanis, Gila and Suki) meanwhile, thought the boy was being rather sweet in offering the food to their friend. Lastly, Winnie believed the "stiff" should've offered more for the rest of them. "Don't get your fur in a knot, Winnie" Sibella urged, "perhaps Lincoln could order some of these for _us._"

As if on cue, the aforementioned boy soon stepped out of the Men's restroom. Not long after that, the Gals each stepped out of the Ladies' room. Both sides had finished drying their hands with some paper towel sheets and were ready to head back to the table to eat.

"We best hurry, everyone" Carol urged, "the pizzas must've cooled down by now." Not needing to be told twice, both Lincoln and the gals made a quick beeline back to their table. But as they drew closer, they could hear the sounds of vicious gagging coming from there.

At the same time, they saw several people (the Ghouls among them) surrounding the area worriedly. "Hey! Back to your tables, everybody" Whitney shouted, "we only left to use the restroom a moment ago, nobody's stealin' our pi..." Before the teen could finish her train of thought, she soon discovered the source of the gagging and gasped with fright.

There, twitching on the floor was Sibella; who appeared to be clutching at her throat in pain. At the same time, everyone also saw what looked like a green froth seeping out of her mouth; which must've been Sibella's saliva foaming. "What the...What happened here" Lincoln demanded softly, "how did this happen to Sibella?!"

With a tearful sniffle, Tanis stepped forward and explained everything to Lincoln; while also showing him the half-eaten knot. "What the...Who gave her this" questioned Carol, "_this_ is what a garlic knot is, which is what we were trying to get Sibella to avoid." Almost immediately, the group frantically apologized for this turn of events; stressing that they didn't know what it was until after Sibella bit into it.

While everyone was eager to get to the bottom of the situation, they needed to focus on saving Sibella. "Leave that to me" Milly stated, "one blast from my rejuvenation ray will ease the vampire's suffering instantly." Before anyone could question the wee Martian on her words, she raised her wrist and revealed a rather odd-looking wristwatch.

In reality, this watch was actually a Martian weapon; one that contained a variety of offensive and defensive applications. After pressing one or two buttons, Milly found what she wanted and aimed her watch over Sibella. Then, in the blink of an eye; a strange blue light emanated from it and washed over the young vampiress.

This process went on for almost ten seconds until at last, the light faded away and Sibella had ceased twitching. For a moment or two, no one dared to say a word; fearing that doing so might agitate the situation. Then, Sibella suddenly shot upright and started coughing violently for a few seconds.

Overtime; it slowly died down to a light cough and then, she smiled gratefully at her friend. "Fangs a lot for the save, Milly" Sibella murmured softly, "I don't know what had happened." While she didn't doubt the young Martian's medical tech, she wanted to play it safe and immediately collected something from her purse. It was small but when everyone saw the item, they could tell it looked like some sort of pill or vitamin.

Without a moment's pause, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of water. Then, seconds later; Sibella's pained expression shifted into a more relaxed one. "Ah! That is much better" she sighed deeply, "good thing Miss Grimwood packed in my pills before we left school.

Though they were relieved to see that she was okay, the Gals asked Sibella about the odd pill that she just ingested. "Oh, it's quite alright" she assured, "it's an anti-garlic pill Miss Grimwood helped our school nurse create." From here, Sibella explained that the pill had chemicals that would cancel out the chemicals of any form of garlic.

"This was something my father actually requested Miss Grimwood to make" Sibella stated, "after my little prank towards Mavis, he didn't want anything serious to happen to us whenever garlic was involved. Everyone murmured softly in understanding, while also praising the Count's parenting skills; despite seeming mildly overprotective. Then, Lincoln stepped forward and asked how the whole situation went down.

While feeling understandably nervous about the request, at first; she still agreed to it and handed Lincoln the garlic knot she sampled a moment ago. "I simply took a small nibble from it and then, I was on my back; chocking madly" Sibella explained, "was _that _one of those garlic knots you spoke of before?" Without a second thought, the Gal Pals nodded lightly in response; while also apologizing for not being present to stop her.

"But how can that be" Winnie inquired, "even though Sibella's nose was protected from the smell, neither her _or_ me sniffed any traces of garlic on that thing." After taking the item in hand, Elsa took a closer look and saw faint traces of garlic pieces baked _inside_ of the dough. "Before we go any further; tell us one thing" Lincoln asked, "who gave you that knot?"

Without hesitation, she revealed that a young boy in a jersey offered it to her just moments ago. "I saw him in a booth near the entrance with two others" Sibella explained, "one had red hair and a wool shirt and the other had...a rather bizarre hairstyle." After hearing her description, Lincoln's demeanor suddenly changed.

In the blink of an eye, a look of unbridled rage formed upon his face; which the ladies found to be rather alarming. Meanwhile, Sibella turned towards the entranceway of the building and saw that the trio was no longer present in their booth. "It's okay, Sibella" Lincoln assured, "I've already got a pretty good idea on who you were talking about."

Not long after that, the Gals said the same thing; explaining that Lincoln had told them about these three individuals before. "I know what this is all about" he said suddenly, "Biff has a some kind of a 'score' to settle with me over what happened between me and my sisters." When the Ghouls asked what happened, Lincoln said there was little time to explain now.

"All you need to understand is this" he stated, "Biff is just as eager to win the Halloween contest as much as anyone in town...and he thinks _we're _a threat to his chances at victory." As expected, the four elder Gal Pals felt that winning a contest was a rather poor excuse for almost poisoning someone. "It's not _just_ about the contest, girls" Lincoln said bluntly, "he wants to humiliate me in any way he can...as well as possibly ruin Halloween for everyone else in Royal Woods."

After hearing all this, Lincoln suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu wash over him. Meanwhile, Carol was able to put the rest of the pieces together. "Somehow, Biff and his crew must've learned you girls are real monsters" she whispered, "him tricking Sibella into eating that garlic knot must've been some sort of sick plan for him to get proof."

After hearing all this, the Ghouls couldn't help but growl a little; thinking that Biff was probably the worst among humans. "I knew some humans were bad" Gila said with a sniffle, "just like my Daddy warned me." After that, she suddenly started to cry; wishing to leave as quickly as possible.

But before the little fish girl could shed any more tears, Carol suddenly took a knee and hugged her tight. "You're father was right, sweetie...there _are_ bad humans out in the world" she whispered soothingly, "but there are also _good _ones, like Lincoln and all of us." No sooner had she said this, Suki was suddenly hugged from the side by the same little girl she saw earlier.

Behind her was an older woman (presumably her mother or elder sister,) who helped hold her little one's cat plushie. Upon close inspection, Suki saw that both of them were smiling warmly at her. "Thank you so much for getting my daughter the doll she wanted" said the woman, "she had her eyes on it since two weeks ago."

As if on cue, the little girl also expressed her thanks while also telling Suki "I love you" in a most adorable voice. "It was my pleasure to help" Suki said with a light bow, "I hope you enjoy your doll...little friend." Upon hearing the "L" word, the little girl squealed with delight and leapt into Suki's arms; hugging her tight.

After that, they said their goodbyes and headed off to the parking lot; eager to return home. "You see, _that's_ what we're talking about" Whitney affirmed, "you can still find plenty of good eggs out in the world...even if the bad ones will cause you trouble." The Grimwood Ghouls took a moment to let her words sink in and once they did, several smiles began to creep up on their faces; especially Milly's.

_"Perhaps there is more to the humans than I gave them credit for" _she thought, _"I should inform my parental units about my findings."_

(Scene Change: The Loud House – 6:30 in the evening)

Sometime later, everyone returned to Lincoln's house and informed everyone on what happened. While also speaking about the good moments, like Suki helping out a little kid or Elsa giving power to Flip's store; they also mentioned how Sibella was almost poisoned. When Lincoln informed Lynn that Biff was behind it all, she was livid.

"That doofus, I thought he learned his lesson after when he got busted for hasslin' you on your first day of school" she grumbled, "guess not." The parents and Miss Grimwood were no happier about the situation either. "If the Count learns about this, our plans could be ruined" the headmistress said worriedly, "why would he harm someone else just to get a rise out of _you,_ Mr. Loud?"

At first, Lincoln thought she was blaming _him_ for what happened. But he soon realized that her words were not spoken out of spite, only concern. "I don't rightly know, Miss G" Lincoln said honestly, "I guess he thinks anyone who calls me their friends are just as big of 'freaks' or 'losers' as he thinks I am."

While the explanation didn't make that much sense, Miss Grimwood swiftly realized that the mentality of a bully is often a confusing one. "What are we gonna do" Winnie asked, "those guys have gotta pay for what they did to our friend!" The rest of the Grimwood Ghouls sounded off in agreement; while also saying that if none of _them_ will do something, Sibella's father will.

"Those ruffians shall, indeed pay" Miss Grimwood assured, "I imagine Mr. and Mrs. Loud will tell their associates within the local law enforcement about this." Without hesitation, Rita and Lynn Sr. vowed that justice _would _be served; one way or another. "In any case, I should probably take Sibella back to the school to recover for the next few days" she stated, "at least until everyone's parents arrive."

No sooner had she said all this, Lincoln asked if she still planned on helping his family out. "But of course, my dear" assured Miss Grimwood, "once Sibella is well; we shall make our swift return and begin our work." While the Loud Sisters feared such a process would probably go past the deadline date, they realized their friend's health was more important than a contest.

"We'll be waiting here for your return, guys" Lincoln murmured with a light smile, "thanks for visiting, agreeing to help and...everything." The Grimwood Ghouls cooed softly at his kind words and rewarded his thank you with one of their own, which involved a massive group hug. However, Sibella chose to hang back; proclaiming she had a special thank you in mind for Lincoln.

But before he could ask what it was, his voice was muffled out by Sibella's lips pressing over his own. While Carol and Dana remained silent through the whole thing, as they suspected; Cristina Jordan, Paige and Ronnie Anne's jaws fell in shock. When she finally pulled away, ten seconds later; Sibella smiled playfully and patted Lincoln on the head.

"That is to thank you for coming to my aid earlier" she whispered sultrily, "I'll make sure my family knows about this." With that, she bade everyone farewell and rejoined her fellow Grimwood students; just as their headmistress reopened the portal. "We shall see you soon, everyone" Miss Grimwood stated, "and do not worry...this year's Halloween shall be a true scream for the town."

With that, she and the girls stepped into the other side and the portal swiftly disappeared; seconds later. Once they were gone, Lincoln suddenly fell over with a lovestruck swoon; which caused Cristina, Jordan, Paige and Ronnie Anne to promptly snap out of their daze. "Okay...I've got a small question" said the young Santiago girl, "could someone please tell me...WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!"

Not long after that, the other three preteen Gal Pals proceeded to question Lincoln on what Sibella's kiss was about; which signaled Carol to immediately intervene. "Girls, it meant nothing" she assured, "we just...kinda, sorta told Sibella that you could feel just as jealous; whenever another girl flirts with Lincoln." This reveal caused the foursome to blush an even deeper shade of red; not from embarrassment, mind you...but out of frustration.

"You better not have put some wild ideas in her head, girly" Ronnie Anne threatened, "Linc and I are...just friends, you know that!" This only made the Gals laugh harder, while Mr. and Mrs. Loud did whatever they could to wake Lincoln back up.

(First AN: What better way to end part three than with a cliffhanger. It's not a stressful or a dramatic one but still. In any case, it looks like Lincoln's first fear has been conquered; The Gal Pals and Grimwood Ghouls have become friends.

But now, he has to worry about setting everything up in time for the big night. Once Sibella has recuperated; will she, her friends and Miss Grimwood be able to help Lincoln in time and what about the Ghouls parents? Will _they_ be able to lend a hand...or will they want to stay away after Sibella's accident?  
What about Biff and his lackeys, will they be able to "expose" the Ghouls to the town and what will happen when if their plan succeeds? Tune in next time for Part Four of Halloween Hilarity and the finale of the Fall Arc.)

(Second AN: Much like with Part Two, this contained a few other references from the Hotel Transylvania films about Vampire culture. Among them are the mentions of Mavis' age, the reference to Scream Cheese, the notion of Vampires getting gassy after eating garlic, her family and of course, Winnie's comment about a wooden stake to the heart. Meanwhile, the SPF: 5022 sun block is a reference to Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf)

(Third AN: While it has never been referenced within any of his movies. I thought Frankenstein...or Elsa, in this case, harnessing electricity through her bolts to help relight Flip's would be a cool ability for a creature like her to have)

(Fourth AN: The Colonel Calloway Military School Biff mentions is a rival school to Grimwood's, as well as one of the locations featured in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. While he hasn't been shown or mentioned by name yet; the cousin Biff references is Tug Roeper, the leader of the Calloway Cadets. In typical school rivalry fashion, the cadets always look forward to possibly defeating the Ghouls at volleyball.

Expect to possibly see them in the finale, however big or small their presence may be)

(Fifth AN: While it's quite obvious to tell who Suki's father is; understand that while Godzilla _is _real within this universe, like the other monsters, he's much different than how the films portray him. He seldom attacks cities and prefers to live peaceful on his home of Monster Island. However, you may expect him to make his appearance during the big Halloween celebration.

The question is...will Royal Woods be big enough to hold him, when he _does_ arrive)

(Final AN: The kind gestures Elsa and Suki performed during this part was about more than just providing cute/cool scenes for the girls. They will serve as an important factor, when Biff attempts to bring the town to rise up against Grimwood's group. But who will come out on top, when the moment arrives?

Will open-mindedness and acceptance win the day or will the humans of Royal Woods be too stuck in their own fears to see the good in Grimwood's students)


	17. Halloween Hilarity - Part Four

Halloween Hilarity with the Gal Pals – Part Four

(Story Synopsis: Fall Arc Finale! As the big night approaches, Miss Grimwood and the Ghouls make their promised return back to Royal Woods...but they did not come alone. Meanwhile, after gathering several pieces of evidence from their mall encounter; Biff and his cronies send word to everyone in town about the true identities of Lincoln's new friends. This in turn attracts the attention of Mayor Davis; who is also, ironically enough, the judge of the decoration contest.

What will happen when the Humans of Royal Woods meet the Monsters of Grimwood? Will it be Halloween fun for all or will the townsfolk come at them with weapons in hand in monster movie mob fashion? Find out as the Loud Family unveils its newest Halloween look.)

Three days had passed by since the Grimwood Ghouls visited the neighborhood and life went on like usual...so to speak. While in school; anytime Lincoln caught sight of Biff's group, he'd cast them incredibly vicious glares. But he did everything he could to not be too open about his anger.

At the same time, Lincoln also feared for Sibella's safety; wondering if Milly's "Martian doohickey" and Miss Grimwood's pill actually did the trick in cleansing her body of any remaining traces of garlic. He also wondered how her father, Count Dracula would respond to this incident. Perhaps, it would force him to not allow Sibella to associate with humans any further.

But then; Lincoln thought of his other daughter, Mavis' husband and son. If he was able to welcome a human and a half-human into his family; surely; he wouldn't keep any of his other children from associating with them. Still, the fact that Biff's little "prank" almost took the life of another was inexcusable.

To add further stress to his situation, Lincoln's house _still _appeared undecorated; save for a few pieces on the windows. After everything that happened, the family wasn't quite in the mood for decorating. Furthermore; Lana, Lola, Lisa and lil' Lily weren't quite in the mood to prepare for Trick R' Treating. Truly, what Biff did to Sibella felt like a severe blow for all of them.

But there was _one _piece of good news in all this; thanks to Miss Grimwood's healing remedies earlier that week, Lucy was feeling so much better than before. Her only regret was that she didn't get the chance to meet the Grimwood students, while she was recovering. Still, Lucy was thankful for everyone's help; Lincoln's especially.

"Don't be thanking me for anything just yet" he murmured in shame, "Sibella got hurt and our plans got derailed...all because Biff wanted to get even with _me._" No sooner had these words passed her son's lips, Rita approached him and gave him a firm look straight in the eyes; stifling any further negative talk. "Listen to me closely, Lincoln...what happened wasn't your fault" she said insistently, "this Biff boy just seems like a cheater and would stoop to any level he can to get what he wants."

Lynn Jr. sounded off in agreement with her mother, listing all the times Biff took the easy way out during practice. "I remember; on my first day of school, Coach Keck said that he'd been 'mooching' off of Lynn's successes for a couple of years" Lincoln stated, "makes me wonder if he's even a jock." The family shared a brief laugh at his small joke, even Lisa couldn't help but find it funny.

At that moment, Lori's cellphone rang and she saw that Carol was on the other line. Thinking it was something everyone needed to hear, she answered the call and turned on the speaker. "Hey, Carol; heard about what happened" Lori stated, "I just hope it didn't literally ruin your dinner out with everybody."

On the other end, Carol let out a soft chuckle before assuring her bestie that everything was okay_. "Aside from that...rather serious hiccup, everyone had a great time"_ she stated, _"those Grimwood Girls...er, Ghouls are a very intriguing bunch."_ Upon hearing this, Lucy let out a soft sigh; further expressing her regret in not getting the chance to meet the group.

_"Don't you worry about that, lil' missy"_ Carol assured, _"Miss G told us she and the girls would be back very soon...once Sibella's been cleared of all signs of garlic."_ After this, Lola started pacing about the floor; stressing about how they won't be ready for the contest in time and that Halloween could be "ruined" for everyone. _"Now that's just stinking thinking, princess"_ Carol said firmly, _"you_ will _be ready for the judging in time...and _we_ will all come and help you."_

With these words, she vowed to get every member of the Gal Pals and Guy Squad she can get in touch with; including the ladies within Ronnie Anne's clan. _"We may not be able to come up with the same level of scary stuff_ you _can think of, Lucy"_ Carol stated, _"but until the Ghoul Girls come back...we'll do whatever we can to help."_ After hearing the teen's statement, a most startling thing happened...Lucy shed a tear.

It wasn't one of mourning or regret; this was a true, genuine tear of joy. Not long after that, she gave Carol a soft smile and told her "thank you" in a kinder version of her monotone voice.

(Line Break)

The date was now October 30th, the day before Halloween and as she promised; Carol assembled nearly every member of the Gal Pals and Guy Squad crews available to come and help the Louds prep for the big night. Of course; when some of them learned about what happened, they felt horrified. "Biff...that _arrastramiento podrido_" Dolores grumbled bitterly, "it's bad enough that he tried to ruin Lincoln's first day of school...now, he wants to ruin Halloween for him too?!"

The Loud Parents felt just as bothered by the situation as she did, making a note to inform the boy's parents about his actions when the holiday preparations were over. With that in mind, Rita called for everyone's attention and thanked them all for coming. "No prob, Mrs. L" Omar said humbly, "when I heard my man, Lincoln was havin' some troubles, the fam and I wanted to help in any way we could."

The girls and their parents chimed in agreement with him, feeling eager to get their creative juices flowing. "So, y'all; what's the plan" inquired Ellie, "we gonna give this house a haunted makeover or what?" With these words, Lucy was quivering with excitement; appearing eager to make up for all the time she lost while she was sick.

But the moment the thought popped into her head, realization hit her like one of Lynn's boxing punches. "Normally, I would have a whole notebook of new ideas for Halloween" she confessed, "but after being sick over the past few days...I can't remember any of them." This bit of news left the rest of the Loud Family feeling distraught.

How could they or any of their gathered friends possibly come up with _any_ kind of horror theme for the house with Halloween being just a day away? "If I could make a suggestion" Carlos interjected suddenly, "perhaps we could...make a sort of educational display; teach the neighborhood the origins of the holiday's themes and traditions?" Almost immediately, this suggestion was met with a unanimous groan of boredom from his family; who were following along behind him.

As expected; the moment they all arrived, both Lori and Bobby greeted one another with their traditional enthusiastic embrace and the outcry of "BOO-BOO BEAR/BABE." In the past, such a sight would've made Lincoln and even his sisters groan with annoyance at their sappy behavior. But for the former, it was something he was actually quite happy to see again.

After visiting Great Lakes during the summer; Ronnie Anne, through video chats with Lincoln, revealed that their older siblings were making strides in rekindling their relationship. They chatted together after Lori's therapy sessions, made a reasonable time limit on how long they would text or chat with one another and while they still used their same lovey-dovey nicknames, they never let their relationship blind them from important things; like assisting family. Speaking of whom; when they learned the Louds needed help, the Casagrande and Chang Families headed right over.

The Gal Pals own parents, their grandparents, Haiku's extended family (specifically her grandmother's acting troupe from the faire) even the members of the Junior Morticians Club came to help lend a hand. To say that Lincoln was surprised by such a supportive turnout would be a gross understatement. Meanwhile, Lola had suspicions that they were only there so that they could have a shot at the prize.

Coincidentally, Lincoln speculated the same thing; upon seeing all the newer faces that came. "This is about_ more_ than some fickle contest, Lincoln" Bertrand said suddenly, "when we first heard that Lucy had fallen ill, we wanted nothing more than to offer our assistance." When someone asked why they didn't come right away; Persephone, the tallest/oldest female member of their group, explained that they had been otherwise occupied in decorating their own homes.

"We apologize for our late arrival, Lucy" Robert said with a light lisp, "but we're here to make up for that lost time." The crowd of people sounded off loudly in agreement, which made Lincoln and Lucy feel all the more humbled. "We're yours to command, guys" Sid proclaimed while saluting, "you tell us what to do and we'll get it done!"

After taking a moment to let everything they saw sink in, Lincoln and Lucy snapped out of their daze and thanked everyone for coming. "We promise you we'll do whatever we can to repay you for your help" Lincoln stated, "some of us might even share whatever trick r' treat candy we managed to get a few days ago with you." Some shook their heads at the offer, proclaiming that helping friends was all that mattered to them.

However; others, like the Junior Morticians had other ideas for compensation. "If what Haiku told us is true, all my associates and I desire from you is a chance to meet these...'monster friends' of yours" Bertrand said bluntly, "I'm particularly eager to see if this...Sibella truly _is_ the child of the famous Count." His fellow club members sounded off in agreement, each of them hoping to get a photo op moment with him.

But in an instant, they realized that vampires can't show on photographs; which caused each of their faces to frown heavily. "Don't ye fret now, wee ones" Haiku's grandmother, Fiona said reassuringly, "I'm sure we will think of somethin'." Just then, a bright orb suddenly appeared in the center of the street.

While the sight of this caused everyone else to leap in alarm; the Louds, Gal Pals and several members of the Casagrande Family appeared slightly unfazed. Just like before, the orb formed into a portal; which allowed Miss Grimwood to step through from her school grounds. The moment the Morticians Club caught sight of the headmistress' clothing, they could tell right away she was a witch.

_"Perhaps, Lincoln spoke the truth after all" _Bertrand thought to himself, _"but what about those monster girls...where are _they?_"_ While the young Goth boy pondered these thoughts, Lincoln warmly greeted Miss Grimwood and asked if Sibella was okay. "Why not ask her for yourself, my dear boy" the headmistress asked playfully, "she and her family are right behind me."

Upon saying these words, everyone saw Sibella stepping through the portal. But what truly took her eye was the group following behind her. Almost immediately; everyone, especially the Goth children, recognized the Count in all his ghoulish regality.

Much like his daughter; Dracula also had an odd yet...somewhat appealing purple-skinned complexion. He was dressed in a black, white, and dark red evening suit, sported a gold medallion around his neck and wore a black-and-red cape with a high collar. Beside him stood a woman wearing a long, form fitting and slightly tattered purple dress.

She had long black hair that reached to the middle of her back and unlike her husband; her smooth, peachy skin appeared rather human-like. But she _did_ have a few physical vampire traits, such as her yellow eyes and her long fingernails. At first glance, many believed this woman may have been a human in a vampire outfit.

To the left of this woman was what appeared to be a teenaged, slender looking vampire, much like Sibella. But unlike her; _this_ one was pale-skinned, had a head of shoulder-length black hair that had bangs hanging over her forehead slightly and wide blue eyes. She wore a black turtleneck dress with long black fingerless gloves, black and red striped tights and red Converse shoes.

Her face showed off quite a few adorable features as well; such as her black lipstick coated lips, lined eyes and dusky eyelids. Needless to say, everyone thought the two vamp teens were hauntingly beautiful; especially the Morticians Club members. Speaking of whom; after seeing the vampire family appear before their eyes, the five young Goths appeared ready to burst with joy.

"It's okay, guys" Haiku murmured with a soft smile, "if you wish to express your excitement, no one will judge you here." With these simple words, the group suddenly squealed in delight and started giggling like mad fools. "I can't believe it, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT...oh, my gosh" Persephone gasped excitedly, "you're real...you're all really, really real!"

No sooner had she said all this, someone stumbled out of the portal and chuckled happily. It was a young man with fair skin and shaggy ginger hair. He was dressed in a yellow and green t-shirt over a long-sleeve orange shirt (both of which appeared too big for him,) brown shorts and blue and green sneakers.

"Of course they're real, brah" said the young man while he dusted himself off from his fall, "they're as real as I am." Without hesitation; this stranger introduced himself as Dracula's son-in-law, Jonathan. "Oh, yeah...you're the guy Sibella told me about" Lincoln blurted out, "but...where's your son, she told me you two had one."

As if on cue, everyone saw a little bat with big blue eyes and a tuft of puffy red hair fly out of the portal. Once it got close to Dracula, the bat suddenly changed into a little five year old boy. In the eyes of the Louds, he looked like a toddler version of Jonathan; from the clothes he wore to his thick head of curly hair.

To say that the Gal Pals (young and old) thought this boy was adorable would be a gross understatement. But the ones who appeared the most enamored were Carlotta, Dolores, their mothers and especially Ms. Santiago. "_AY QUE LINDO_" cried the Latina ladies in unison, "SUCH A CUTE LITTLE BOY!"

At first, Carlotta was moments away from tackling the little curly-haired toddler in a hug. But she was immediately stopped in mid-air by Dracula's powers. "No one is to touch my family" he said firmly, "not until I've spoken my piece first." With that statement, he began to make a stride over Lincoln's way; which made the lad feel...understandably nervous.

"My daughter tells me you tried to help her, after she inadvertently sampled some garlic" the Count in his famous accent, "is this true?" After taking in a nervous gulp, he gazed up at Dracula and nodded; while also clarifying that _Milly_ was the one who saved the day. Upon saying her name, the young Martian came flying out of the portal with her jetpack.

Not long after that, Lincoln spotted another Martian stepping through; someone Lincoln presumed was Milly's father (or whatever title Martian children gave their elders.) Much like her; _this _Martian was dressed in the same uniform, gloves, boots...he even had a pair of alien eyestalks as well. But not only was he taller than Milly, Lincoln could see small fangs protruding out from this alien's upper lip.

Lastly, while Milly's eyes had a light green color, her "parent's" eyes were nothing but a pair of black dots. As the creature landed upon the ground and turned off his pack, Lincoln hoped he came in peace (as cliché as the phrase sounded in his head.) "The Earthling speaks the truth, Count" said the tall Martian, "M-149 told me everything during our video correspondence yesterday evening."

After hearing this clarification, Dracula glared intently down at Lincoln; which led to him finally crumbling under the pressure. "YES! YES, YOUR LORDSHIP; IT'S TRUE" he cried, "I...I didn't know such a thing would happen, when I went to use the restroom...but..." Before he could continue, Carol hurried to his side and reminded Lincoln to do his calming breaths.

Without delay, the young Loud boy began to do just that; feeling his mind and spirit calming down slightly with every breath. Meanwhile, Sibella glared softly up at her father while waving her finger in disapproval. "Daddy, there's no need to sound so authoritative" she said firmly, "what happened with me wasn't Lincoln's fault."

Just as the other ghoul girls began to say the same thing, Lincoln became calm enough to speak again and confirmed Sibella's words to be true. "I...I just went to wash my hands in the restroom for just a moment, you see" he explained, "when I got back, I found Sibella choking on the floor and the lightly chewed garlic knot." From here, Zanya added that "some boy in a sports jersey" offered it to her while Lincoln and his friends were away.

"The jerk must've wiped off all the garlic stuff on the surface of the knot" Haiku murmured, "but Sibella didn't count on it being baked _inside _of the dough." After all this was said; Lincoln hung his head in shame and apologized, once more for what happened. "What happened was an accident, I promise you" he stated, "but...if you're gonna hurt me, make it quick."

At first, Lincoln expected the Count to slap him down or gnaw into his neck and drain him dry of his blood. But instead, he suddenly heard him and the rest of the Ghouls parents laughing heartily. When he calmed down enough, Dracula smiled down at Lincoln and held him close in a light embrace.

"Hurt you, dear boy...perish the thought" he stated, "I vant to hug you...for making my daughter feel so velcome in your town." Upon being released from the hug, Lincoln soon found himself surrounded by the other Ghouls' parents. "Yes, my daughter speaks rather highly about you" said the mummy figure, "she tells me two of your younger sisters treated her very kindly."

As if on cue, Lana and Lola raised their hands high; proclaiming _they_ were the ones Tanis spoke about. "Truthfully...after hearing about Sibella's episode, we came close to demanding Miss Grimwood to placing our daughters on lockdown at the school" growled an adult werewolf, "but our girls helped convince us otherwise...as well as Zanya's folks." Upon hearing the name of their zombie friend, everyone wondered why she wasn't with them.

"Don't worry, her parents are escorting her here" Miss Grimwood assured, "her father insisted on her having a police escort." No sooner had she said this, the sounds of a police siren "wooed" softly; mildly startling everyone. When they looked down the road, the Loud Family spotted a police cruiser heading their way. "This must be Zanya's police escort now" Luan murmured, "either that or it could be one of Miss Simmons' friends coming to join the party."

The officer in question smiled lightly at the girl's little joke and shook her head, explaining that everyone else _she_ knew was busy with their own Halloween plans. Then, at that moment; they spotted a hand waving at them from out of the window. Upon taking a close look, everyone could see some stitches at the wrist; which meant that Zanya was the one on board.

Once the cruiser was safely parked, the side door sprung open and the wee zombie teen came storming out; laughing like a kid coming home from the theme park. "HEY, EVERYBODY" she cried while hugging each of the Louds, "sorry we couldn't come with the rest of you, Ms. G...but thanks for teleporting us to the police station." The headmistress smiled kindly at Zanya and greeted her with a light hug.

After that, the rest of the cruiser doors opened and the other passengers slowly exited from the vehicle. Straightaway, the Louds and Gal Pals immediately recognized the firm face of one Officer Schoffner; hoping that she was only here as an escort. But walking alongside her were two entirely new faces.

One was a tall, grizzled and supposedly lanky looking fellow; though one couldn't tell from his trench coat. Beside him was a young woman with short blonde hair, blue eyes and appeared to be dressed in blue jeans with a matching jean vest over her pink shirt. "Those must be Z's folks" Luna announced, "guess we know where she got her looks from."

No sooner had she said this, a heavy shadow suddenly loomed over the young pixie-cut rocker. With a nervous gulp, Luna turned around and saw Zanya's father standing behind her. "Did you just make a joke about my lil' princess' looks, Missy" he said in a slightly gruff voice, "because my Zanya can't help it with her stitches!"

Though she wasn't quite that afraid by his voice, especially after dealing with her own parents' wrath before; Luna couldn't help but quiver a little. But then, Zanya gave a whistle and urged her daddy to back off. "She meant no offense, Daddy" she said firmly, "I think she meant that I got a few of yours and Mommy's traits in me."

As she said these words, the young zombie teen gestured at her eyes and hair color; which seemed to appease the fierce detective. Once he backed away, the blonde woman approached and chuckled softly. "I'm so sorry if my husband was rude" she stated, "after what happened with Sibella, he's been feeling...a little tense."

After letting out a soft chuckle, Rita and Lynn nodded slightly and assured her that no harm was done. "Trust us, we literally get it" Lori stated, "if what happened to Sibella happened to any of _us..._our folks would be just as overprotective." After that, the couple introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Talon.

"Wait...I think I heard about you" Lincoln stated, "Miss Higgins told me she met a rookie named Talon down at the police academy down in Lansing." With great care; he then said that Miss Higgins described Mr. Talon as a "strict, by the books" type of person. "That was ages ago, Jenny" the detective groaned at the officer in question with a light smile, "I've loosened up a lot after becoming a family man."

Officer Higgins chuckled softly with joy and waved hello at Zanya. Soon; everyone, human and otherwise was accounted for and were ready to get started working. But then, just as everyone was about to decorate; the Gal Pals cellphones suddenly started going off.

"Hold on just a sec, folks" Carol said politely, "that must be a notification that the judging's about to..." Before she could finish her sentence, the teen took one look at her phone's screen and saw something that made her face turn pale. Coincidentally, the other Gals had the same look about them; which made everyone feel worried.

"What's going on" Lana asked confusedly, "is the contest cancelled or something?" Without a word, Ronnie Anne made her way over to the toddler and showed her what was on _her_ phone; which showed a series of images featuring the Grimwood Ghouls. Underneath each of them was the short and simple hashtag #TricktheTreaters.

"Okay...First of all, that hashtag is totes uncreative" Leni stated, "second of all, these are really cute pics of you guys!" Turning her phone towards the adults, she showed them each of the presented pictures; which were taken from Reininger's and Gus' Games n' Grub. "I don't know what sort of place that is" murmured Frankenstein while pointing at the Games n' Grub photos, "but you girls looked like you had a wonderful time."

The Ghouls sounded off loudly in agreement, going into detail on everything that happened at Gus'. "Normally, pics taken at such a popular place are a good thing to make a trend about" Carlotta stated, "but something tells me there's more to this than we think." After taking a moment to look at her own phone, she saw something that proved her suspicions were true.

The very first pictures on screen showed what looked like a sunhat floating above a chair at Reininger's. But in reality; it was actually _Sibella_ in it, which meant that she would appear invisible on photographs. Above _this_ picture was a statement proclaiming that the Grimwood Ghouls truly _were_ monsters and not young children in costumes.

"So this guy tried to snag a pic of Sibella while she was shopping, big whoop" Ronnie Anne murmured, "what's the big deal?" While he couldn't help but slightly feel the same way, Lincoln had a good feeling who posted the photos. "The second one here shows Suki accidentally breaking one of the moles at Whack-a-Mole in Gus'" he stated, "and another shows a video of Phantasma eating."

With this announcement, everyone could feel a strong sense of dread wash over them and urged Lincoln to play the video. Naturally, everyone knew that ghosts couldn't really be shown on camera; just like with vampires. But all too quickly did everyone see that _that_ particular factor was the thing they feared most.

As the video piece began to play, it showed everyone seated at the booth; eating together. But at the spot where Phantasma was known to have been sitting, everyone only saw a pizza slice floating in mid-air and being nibbled on; as well as the bits being chewed thoroughly. "Ah, dang it" groaned Lincoln, "if the pics won't convince them, that video will be proof enough that our friends are monsters."

Upon hearing this news, Mr. and Mrs. Talon appeared relatively calm; believing the girls had nothing "sinister" to hide from anyone. "That may be; Ma'am, Detective" Rita murmured, "but...not everyone is as accepting of your daughters as _we've _all now become." Not only did the Loud Children agree with their mother on this; they also revealed that since the posts were trending, it meant everyone in town probably knew the truth now.

"This must've been Biff's plan the whole time" growled Lincoln, "to expose my friends and humiliate me as a bonus...that rotten CREEP!" Upon coming to this conclusion, Lincoln saw the confused looks the Ghouls' parents were giving him and grew a little nervous. Just as her husband was prepared to go into "Work Mode," Mrs. Talon calmly held him back and requested to speak with Lincoln herself.

"I don't wish to seem pushy or rude to you, dear" she said gingerly, "but why would this boy want to hurt any of _our _girls just to get to_ you?_" Not wishing to see their friend struggle like this, all the Gals within Lincoln's grade stood beside him and offered to help explain things. "Long story short, Biff's group are among those few who believe Lincoln was the bad guy during his family issues last Spring" Jordan stated, "Biff also happens to be one of Lynn Junior's...'supporters.'"

Detective Talon nodded silently in understanding; over the course of his career, he'd seen his fair share of overzealous sports fans before. "To wrap things up; even though I apologized for everything that happened between me and my family, Biff and a number of other students still wanted me to suffer" Lincoln said grimly, "and they were willing to viciously pelt me with dodgeballs to see it happen!" Understandably so, this part of the story truly shocked the adults...but it was the near conclusion that clenched it.

When Lincoln revealed how he actually _wanted _to be struck by the dodgeball barrage, everyone gasped in shock. "Though I'm certain such an attack wouldn't be fatal" Milly said bluntly, "you still wished to put yourself in harms way...just to make things right with your 'haters' as they are called?" Without a moment's pause, Lincoln nodded in response; which surprised the other monster folk.

"Earthling...I admire your spirit" Milly stated, "you may not appear quite strong but you are certainly not weak." Not only did her "father" seem to agree but so did the Ghouls' other parents. As the story slowly reached its end, Winnie hoped Biff and his cronies got what they deserved for what they almost did to Lincoln.

"Thankfully...before Biff or his group could make the slightest move; Miss Keck, our Gym Teacher returned" Lincoln said with a light smile, "and Lynn was right beside her." This reveal caused the Ghouls to cry out in victory, even their fathers couldn't help but feel elated. "Turns out she had been tailing me most of my entire school day" Lincoln stated, "she saw everything Biff and his pals did to me and wanted to wait for the right moment to bust them!"

The Monster Adults couldn't help but lightly applaud the former jock for her efforts, which caused her to lightly blush out of humility. "As it turns out, though; Biff didn't really learn his lesson from that" Jordan groaned, "now, it seems his vendetta against Lincoln is stronger than ever." This statement caused Milly and her "father" to roll their eyes slightly, thinking that Biff seemed to act more like a primate that an intelligent lifeform.

After everything had been said and done, all was silent for what felt like ages. When he saw the serious looks in the eyes of the Ghoul Gals' parents' eyes, Lincoln became even more nervous than before. Then, at long last; both Dracula and Detective Talon approached the boy, took a knee...and smiled at him.

"I apologize for ever doubting you, young man" the Count said kindly, "and I am also sorry this boy vishes to cause you, your friends _and_ our girls harm." The other parents sounded off in agreement, some of them demanding that justice should be served. "Just give me anything that belongs to him" Papa Werewolf growled eagerly, "I'll get Biff's scent, follow his scent to where he lives and scare the daylights outta him!"

With a hearty howl, he proclaimed that the bully would be too busy soiling himself to want to mess with anyone again. "That's a good idea for a Halloween prank, dude" Ronnie Anne complimented, "but seeing as how news about you guys' being here has gone viral...you won't be able to surprise him." A split second later, Maria followed up her daughter's words by adding that scaring Biff would only be helping him succeed.

"Man...this tanks" Lincoln grumbled, "all I wanted was to make a nice Halloween display that would stand equal to what Lucy does every year, something that shows off the true spirit of Halloween." No sooner had he said this, everyone (specifically the parents of the Gals and Ghouls) suddenly started to question where Lincoln heard such a thing. "It's written here on the contest notice" Cristina said while showing off her own copy, "whoever takes part in the contest had to make something that showed what Halloween was truly about."

On that note, Lincoln confessed that he had the same idea as everyone else; that Halloween was about the candy, costumes and genuine scary stuff. "Oh, my dear child; those are all fine examples" Miss Grimwood said kindly, "but there is so much more to the holiday than all that." Feeling both mildly frustrated yet still intrigued, everyone asked the headmistress what _she_ felt was the spirit of the holiday.

"Alas, I do not think I can explain it properly in words" Miss Grimwood replied, "but...if you all would permit me, I will be more than happy to _show_ you." While still feeling somewhat confused; the Louds, Casagrandes, Gal Pals and all their friends nodded slightly in agreement to her request. "Very good, all I need now is my old wand" Miss Grimwood murmured, "does anyone know where I put it?"

As soon as she asked this, what looked like a small white hand suddenly floated towards the headmistress. At first, the humans among the crowd believed it to be a disembodied hand. But after taking a closer look, everyone saw that it was just a glove...a seemingly enchanted one but a glove, nonetheless.

They could also see that it held what looked like a long silver wand between its thumb and index fingers. When Miss Grimwood saw the glove's approach, she smiled with relief. "There we are, thank you for finding it for me" she said thankfully, earning a quick thumb's up from the glove; "now, then...I believe the time has come to change."

As if somehow, sensing everyone's confusion; Miss Grimwood explained that they needed to get dressed before the judges (or a possible angry mob) would arrive. "With all due respect, Ma'am...how are we to do that" Lisa inquired, "all of the closest costume shops have sold out of the best (and possibly cheapest) Halloween attire available." Upon hearing this, the Grimwood Ghouls and their parents started laughing/cackling/yowling happily; which confused their human friends.

Once they calmed down, Miss Grimwood took her wand in hand and called for Lincoln's family and friends to step forward. "Sure thing, Ma'am" Luna murmured, as she approached the headmistress; "but we'd still like to know how you plan on solving our costume problem." With a light yet hearty chuckle, Miss Grimwood was moments away from revealing her plan.

But then, she realized they were missing some people; whom she felt would be integral in making sure everything runs smoothly. "Jonathan, dear; could you do me one favor" Miss Grimwood asked, "run through the portal quick and collect the students from the Military School next door for me." While the request seemed a little odd, especially since the aforementioned school was the home of Grimwood's academic rivals; Jonathan still accepted the task and leapt through the portal.

"Wait...aren't those the guys who bullied the Ghoul Girls in _their_ neck of the woods" inquired Ronnie Anne, "if so, why do we need _them?_" Miss Grimwood simple patted her upon the head and assured her that, in time; everything would be revealed. "Well, can you at least tell us what you plan on doing with your...wand thingy" Sid asked, "are you planning on turning us into toads...BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!"

Lana couldn't help but agree with her, while Lola dreaded the idea of becoming a frog like Hopps. But much to the girls' dismay, Miss Grimwood told them that witches ceased turning people into toads centuries ago. This only seemed to leave everyone with more questions, unfortunately

"Permit me to ask you all something, my dears" Miss Grimwood asked, "if you could be _anything _for one night...what could it be?" This question caused not only the little ones' eyes to sparkle with excitement but the older kids and adults as well. This response signaled Miss Grimwood to put her plan into action.

(Line Break)

Hours passed by and the big night finally arrived, All Hallows Eve. All throughout the town; people were seen walking about collecting candy, singing ghostly melodies...as well as marching through the streets with torches and pitchforks. Just as the Gal Pals feared; once Biff's social media post started trending, a lot of people rallied to his side.

Of course, not all of them joined because they believed him; rather, some thought it was all an elaborate Halloween themed sketch. Others meanwhile, believed that if they said no; the boy would simply pester them until they gave in to his "request." Among those who didn't feel like they belonged with the mob was Mayor Davis, who only agreed to come with them because she thought she could two birds with one stone; assist one of the townspeople with their problem _and_ judge the houses she'd pass for the contest.

"This had better not be some sort of elaborate prank, young man" she said firmly, "some of us have important business to attend to tonight." As the mob started roaring loudly in agreement, Biff used as much "charm" he could muster to try and calm them down. "We promise you, Ma'am; this is of the utmost importance" Vicky assured, "one of your citizens has been seen cavorting with honest to goodness monsters!"

As expected, this claim was met with a collection of disgruntled groans and loud rants of disbelief. When the preteens tried to reference the evidence Biff collected, they still refused to bend. "That could've all been homemade movie footage" Mr. Bolhofner said firmly, "we expect to see _true_ physical evidence, if you expect us to do anything."

After that, everyone remained silent during the remainder of the march until they reached their destination; the Loud House. When they looked at it, everyone saw that it had some of the same pieces of décor from last year; fake gravestones in the yard, cobwebs on the windows, the pets dressed up as demonic versions of themselves etc. While the pets' looks were relatively nice, nothing appeared to be amiss.

"I suppose Miss Lucy is still sick in bed" Mayor Davis stated, "too bad, my kids were really looking forward to trick r' treating here." With that said, she informed the crowd that nothing was out of the ordinary there; which caused them to groan in annoyance. But just as everyone was ready to disperse, a soft voice called out to them.

Everyone, young and old turned around and spotted an old man sitting in his rocking chair under the glow of the porch light. In an instant, Vicky recognized him as Lincoln's "Pop-Pop;" Albert. "Well hello, everybody" he greeted casually, "hope y'all are having a Happy Halloween." At first, Mayor Davis felt confused by this sight; wondering why the Louds' eldest member was out on his own here.

But before she could question him about it, Albert decided to "share a quick story" with them. "Don't know if it was wise of ya to come here, folks" he said warily, "things get awfully loopy at the house this time of year." While he couldn't help but sense some truth in the man's words, Biff shook his head and asked where the family was.

But instead of answering him, the old man just kept on "rambling" to the crowd. "Yup...this time of year, just about anything can happen" he said with a sly grin, "especially at this house." With that simple statement, he snapped his fingers and the light suddenly shut off.

When it turned back on again, the old man was gone from the chair; which seemed to startle a lot of the people in the mob. As if sensing their fear, Biff glared at the crowd and called for their attention. "C'mon, people; this is all a trick" he shouted, "are you really going to fall for Loud's old tricks?!"

For a moment or two, no one answered his question; not even his two associates. "I dunno, Biff" murmured the punk rock kid, "this all makes the Slaughterhouse at Dairy Land look like a kiddy ride." In response to this, Biff let out a loud yet sarcastic laugh; proclaiming that it would take more than light shows and a disappearing act to scare him.

"YOU HEAR ME, LOUD; I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME ALL YOU AND YOUR FREAK SHOW FAMILY'S GOT" he challenged, "I WON'T FLINCH...NO MATTER HOW MANY SPOOKS YOU SEND ME!" Before anyone could reprimand the boy for tempting Fate, the Loud Family's garage suddenly flew open and some sort of fog started pouring out of it. Not long after that, everyone swore they heard music playing from out of nowhere; while also claiming to have seen ghostly images around them.

Soon, the music began to grow louder and everyone recognized it as "This is Halloween" by Danny Elfman. Before anyone could ask about what was going on, several shadows appeared and started to sing to them.

_(Shadow of Clyde as a ghost)_

_Boys and girls of every age_

_(Shadow of Chaz as a gargoyle)_

_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_

_(Phantasma and her father)_

_Come with us and you will see_

_This, our town of Halloween_

_(Ellie, Tonya and Dolores as Zombies)_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_(Jack O Lanterns fall rhythmically around the mob)_

_Pumpkins scream in the dead of night_

_(Ellie, Tonya and Dolores as Zombies)_

_This is Halloween, everybody make a scene_

_Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright_

_It's our town, everybody scream_

_In this town of Halloween_

_(Phoebe's voice speaks from somewhere in the shadows in a demonic tone)_

_I am the one hiding under your bed_

_Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red_

_(Whitney appears from beneath the Loud House's porch as a demon with strange hands and spiders in her poof)_

_I am the one hiding under yours stairs_

_Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair_

_(CHORUS)_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_(Several coffins appear and pop open with each beat, revealing the Junior Morticians Club inside as vampires)_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_(Morticians Club sings in unison)_

_In this town we call home_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

_(Zanya)_

_In this town, don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise_

_(Biff and his crew yelp in alarm, when they see Zanya pull off her head after saying "surprise," while the rest of the crowd watches in morbid curiosity)_

_(Omar's and Joey's voices sing hauntingly)_

'_Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can_

_Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll..._

_Kat pops out of a can as a demonic puppet: Scream! _

_Winnie appears out of another: This is Halloween_

_Kat: Red 'n' black _

_Liam as a swamp creature appears at the center of the mob: And slimy green_

_Lynn Jr. as a Banshee: Aren't you scared?!_

_(Sibella along with Carol, Dana and Lori as witches sing in unison while flying/floating into the air)_

_Well, that's just fine_

_Say it once, say it twice_

_Take a chance and roll the dice_

_Ride with the moon in the dead of night_

_(Rosa Casagrande while as the _Cucuy_ performs a Flamenco dance and eases herself towards the crowd)_

_Everybody scream, everybody SCREAM!_

_(Maria, Arthuro, Carlos and Frieda appear as Mexican Calacas)_

_In our town of Halloween!_

_(Luan dressed as a female version of Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise)_

_I am the clown with the tear-away face_

_(she rips off her face with some gag flypaper and speaks her next verse in a crazed tone of voice)_

_HERE IN A FLASH AND GONE WITHOUT A TRACE!_

_(Ronnie Anne's voice speaks in a haunting voice from seemingly out of nowhere)_

_I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"_

_(Lucy's voice softly howls like a breeze)_

_I am the wind blowing through your hair_

_(Haiku's silhouetted face suddenly appears on the moon)_

_I am the shadow on the moon at night_

_Filling your dreams to the brim with fright_

_(Fiona and her theater trope appear as banshees and float merrily around the mob while singing)_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_Halloween! Halloween!_

_(Lana, Lola and Tanis appear; the twins appear to resemble gremlins)_

_Tender lumplings everywhere_

_Life's no fun without a good scare_

_(Lynn Sr. in the likeness of the Phantom of the Opera)_

_That's our job_

_(Rita as a Morticia Addams)_

_But we're not mean_

_(Both parents sing in unison)_

_In our town of Halloween_

_(CHORUS)_

_In this town_

_(Miss Grimwood)_

_Don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise_

_(Sid, her parents, Lisa and Elsa come wheeling in a couple of large coffins, a medical table, a sarcophagus and a strange-looking scarecrow)_

_(CHORUS)_

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back_

_And scream like a banshee_

_Make you jump out of your skin_

_This is Halloween, everybody scream_

_(Detective Talon along with Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos gesture towards the scarecrow)_

_Won't ya please make way for a very special guy?_

_(Luna and Hector start to sing a duet, while the "lifeless scarecrow's" head starts moving slightly to the rhythm)_

_Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch_

_Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!_

_(As the crowd of monsters sings, the Scarecrow comes to life and starts dancing while its head is slowly engulfed in flames. At the same time; both coffins and the sarcophagus suddenly burst open while Lisa pulls a switch on a machine next to the medical table. This causes the device to spark while the thing on the table starts twitching violently)_

_(Chorus)_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_(Lana, Lola, Lisa sing in unison with Tanis, CJ and Carl; as the scarecrow's pumpkin head peels away)_

_In this town we call home_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

_(As everyone starts singing/chanting, the Scarecrow's true face is revealed to be Lincoln Loud...or rather, a skeleton version of him. He marches forward to the rhythm of the chants while smiling wickedly. Following behind him are the monstrous forms of Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, a ghostly phantom in a trench coat and hat and a tall purple-faced Martian)_

_La! La! La! (Crowd: Halloween! Halloween)_

_La-La La! La! La! (Crowd: Halloween! Halloween!)_

_La-La La! La! La! (Crowd: Halloween! Halloween)_

_La-La-La! La-La-La!_

_(The crowd of creatures makes loud, gleeful exclamations)_

_(As the music dies down; the creatures start cackling, laughing, growling, yowling and giggling with merry delight)_

Once the performance was finished, all went silent; save for the soft chirruping of the crickets. Then, two people started applauding in the crowd; much to Biff's surprise. Then four more people clapped along with them, then a few more and soon; the whole angry mob started wailing with delight.

"WHOOO! BEST PERFORMANCE PIECE EVER" cried Mayor Davis, "am I right, people?!" Without a second thought, the crowd behind her suddenly erupted into a wild fit of applause (save for Biff and his partners.) Flattered and quite surprised by this behavior, the Louds and those beside them bowed graciously to the crowd.

"Louds...I must say, you have exceeded all expectations, this year" Mayor Davis praised, "I especially loved all the effects you used...how was your son able to set his head on fire the way he did?" With a sly smile on his face, Lincoln wagged his finger at the mayor and said "a magician never reveals their secrets...or even a magician in training." Not long after this, several other people from the mob started walking over to praise the family for their performance.

Meanwhile, the children of this mob began to crowd around the monsters; all of whom didn't appear afraid of any of them. "You guys are so cool" cried a kid dressed as Rip Hardcore, "I hope to be as scary and awesome as you, when I'm older!" As the mob continued to praise the creatures rather than want to lynch them, Biff became desperate and tried to get them back onto his side.

"Don't you people get it" he exclaimed, "the Louds are involved with monsters...real monsters!" While she wasn't quite ready to give in to the boy's cries just yet, Mayor Davis was still eager for answers. "Why not show your true faces, everyone" she requested, "we will need them for the photo op."

Not wishing to deny the mayor's wishes, Lincoln gave a whistle and asked Miss Grimwood if she could change everyone back. "With pleasure, my dear" said the headmistress, "good people of Royal Woods...look upon the _true_ faces of our monstrous chorus!" With one quick wave of her wand, the creatures' faces were suddenly engulfed in a white light.

Then, seconds later; they were instantly restored to their original selves. Of course, as one would expect; this open display of witchcraft/sorcery _did_ raise a few eyebrows. But Miss Grimwood remained confident that she could keep them calm.

"Rest easy, everyone" she said with a reassuring smile, "as you can see; though their 'costumes' were created by my magic, they're all relatively unharmed." After taking a moment to look over both families; the mob saw no signs of scars, burns or even the smallest blemish (like a wart.) "So...hold on a second" questioned Howard McBride, "so, that stuff you did...was _real_ magic?"

Miss Grimwood smiled warmly at the young man and nodded in response. "And...those other people that didn't change back from your...'spell'" Mayor Davis murmured uneasily, "they're _real_ monsters?" In spite of the nervous sensation welling up inside of them, the Grimwood Ghouls and their parents nodded without hesitation.

Once this was confirmed, Biff's friends suddenly burst into jolly laughter and started dancing like fools. "SEE...It's just like Biff said" the punk kid shouted, "they _are_ monsters, which makes _them _the bad guys." As expected, this accusation greatly offended the individuals in question.

But before any of them could say anything, Flip suddenly rushed onto the scene. "Now...hold on there, folks" he said while panting heavily, "these guys...they may be monsters...but they ain't evil." From here, he told everyone how Elsa helped restore power to his store; after his generator blew out.

"Ah, it was nothing" the Frankenteen girl said humbly, "it never hurts to help." Upon letting this sink in, the mob suddenly started murmuring softly; both in confusion and in slight admiration for Elsa's actions. Then, a little girl stepped out of the crowd and happily raced into Suki's arms for a hug.

"This nice dino girl gave her whole pile of prize tickets to me so that I could get my kitty toy" she said happily, "she's the nicest monster ever!" The crowd cooed softly in a unified "aww," which only intensified after Suki returned the child's embrace. "And just the other day; Miss Grimwood, the Ghoul Girls' teacher, made a special potion to help heal me when I was sick" Lucy murmured with a smile, "and it worked."

That did it; with that third display of generosity, the crowd now saw that the monsters weren't evil after all. This in turn gave a group of teens the opportunity to approach Dracula and his family more confidently. Almost instantly; Lincoln recognized this group as Fiona, Miguel, Mandee and Jackie.

The Count watched with mild intrigue; as the young man pushed the "lead girl," Fiona towards him. "Vell, vhat is it that you vish from me" inquired Dracula, "do you have something to say?" After gulping down a nervous lump, she reached into her fanny pack and brought out a small notebook along with a fancy pen.

"Um...I know this totally must be the most awk-weird thing in the world for you...Sir" Fiona murmured timidly, "but...can I, uh...have your autograph?" At first, the teen expected Dracula to deny her request; believing he didn't understand the idea of autographs. But then, not only did _he_ sign the notebook; the rest of his family did as well, including Johnny and Dennis.

As he watched the scene unfold, Miguel became inspired to ask a similar request towards Dracula's daughters; which they happily agreed. "There we are, hope this will be alright" Mavis said while handing the book back, "WHOOPS...Sibella, we almost forgot to dot the 'I's.'" The young purple vixen gasped playfully in realization and immediately decided to rectify their mistake.

After taking Miguel's notebook back, both Dracula girls lightly kissed the page; leaving small kiss marks above the "I's" in their names. Amusingly enough, this gesture caused Miguel to swoon loudly; which also made his lady friends giggle and roll their eyes. Meanwhile, Myrtle was chatting idly with Sibella's mother (named Vanna;) telling her that her dress was "absolutely to die for."

"It's funny you mention that, actually" chuckled the vampiress, "this dress _was_ actually the same one that I died in, hundreds of years ago." Even though the statement sounded rather morbid, Myrtle and Albert couldn't help but share a good laugh with her. Elsewhere, Lucy looked around at the scene before her and sighed blissfully.

Seeing all her friends and family conversing with monsters was a sight to behold. She was especially surprised by how brave her father was being around them. "This is the greatest Halloween ever" she said with a grin, "I should really thank Lincoln for putting this all together in my place."

No sooner had she said this, something...or _someone_ whispered the simple words "see that you do, young lady" into her ear. Not used to being the one receiving a startling surprise, Lucy gave a soft "yah" and fell over herself. Then, a hand reached down and helped her up off the grass. "Be careful, dear" a soft voice murmured, "don't want you having another medical reason to stay in bed; now, do we?"

As Lucy looked ahead of her to find the source of the voice, she saw a sight that shocked her so greatly; it made her bangs stand on end. Standing before her...or rather _floating _before her, as it were was her Great-Grandmother; Harriet Loud. After hearing her gasp, the family turned around to see if Lucy was still okay.

When the rest of Lucy's sisters saw her chatting it up with what seemed to be the ghost of their great-grandmother, time itself seemed to slow down. It was surprising enough to see yet another real ghost. But as they took a close look at Harriet, it was like looking at a past life version of their sister.

Much like Lucy; Harriet had the same black hair, bangs and pale complexion. But very quickly, they could see a few key differences between the two. While Lucy's attire consisted of typical Goth pieces; Harriet's own looked like something out of the 30's.

She had white pearl earrings like Lola's, a pearl necklace, a black dress with a brown waistband and brown cuffs. Atop her head was a small yet adorable looking brown 1930s hat. The most notable difference between Harriet and Lucy was the fact that the former looked much older and taller.

Needless to say, it was quite a surprise to see her; particularly for Lynn Sr. "G-G-Grammy, is it...is that really you" he murmured while cautiously approaching the ghost, "all this monster business must be messing with my head." Upon hearing his murmuring; Harriet momentarily stopped speaking with Lucy, faced her grandson and smiled.

"Lynn...baby boy, look how you've grown" she said while swiping away a stray tear, "and Lucy here tells me you've become a chef with your own restaurant, great job." That did it; whatever fears about ghosts he had before were pushed away, the moment Lynn heard his grandmother express pride towards him. With a hearty laugh, he rushed over to her; eager to give Harriet the biggest hug of his life.

But as he tried to envelop her in his arms, he realized too little too late that humans couldn't touch ghosts. As a result; Lynn phased right through her and fell hard onto his face, almost breaking his nose. "Oh, dear; are you okay, honey" Harriet asked worriedly, "did you hurt yourself?"

After taking a moment to look himself over, Lynn was relieved to see no sign of injuries. "I'm just...so happy to see you, Grammy" he cried joyfully, "there's just so much I wanna share with you...along with other things that you might...hate me for." In regards to the latter, Harriet frowned slightly and confessed that she knew all about the family's..."little tiff."

"Before you ask, understand one thing" she said bluntly, "just because I am no longer among the living...doesn't mean I'm unable to see what goes on with my family." With this statement, both Lincoln _and_ Lucy smiled coyly; being rather well-read on ghosts themselves, they knew exactly what Grandma Harriet was talking about. Meanwhile, Lynn Sr. was lightly quivering in his grandmother's presence; fearing the idea of facing even a sliver of her ghostly wrath.

But then, he quickly snapped out of this state; when he suddenly felt a light chill upon his shoulder. When he looked up at his grandmother, Lynn saw that she was smiling at him while resting a sympathetic hand upon his shoulder. "Dear...you messed up, it happens" Harriet murmured, "everyone does from time...but what's important is that you, Rita and my girls have made amends with Lincoln and worked hard to earn the town's trust again."

This statement caused Lynn to blush softly and he tried to say that it was all no big deal. "It _was, _honey...and I'm especially proud of your son" Harriet stated, "speaking of which, where is he?" No sooner had she said this, Lincoln let out a soft and squeaky cry of "present" and began to approach her.

Then, just like with Lynn; Harriet proceeded to give him a hug, not caring that her arms couldn't touch him. "I'm very happy you and the others are okay, honey" she murmured, "I'm also happy your new friends were able to help you in your time of need." As if on cue, the Gal Pals and Grimwood Ghouls murmured bashfully; expressing that they were more than happy to help a friend.

"If you don't mind my asking, Great-Grandma" Lincoln inquired, "how did you get here, shouldn't you be...you know, upstairs or something?" Harriet chuckled softly at him, knowing full well what he was referring to and sensed that her granddaughters wondered the same thing; especially Lisa. "It happens every Halloween, dearies" she stated, "when the big night arrives, the veils between the natural and supernatural worlds open (so to speak,) allowing beings like us ghosts to move freely among the living."

She then faced the Casagrande Family and said that the same thing applied with their Day of the Dead celebration. "Speaking of which... _Señora_ Rosa, your _Papa_ says he will see you very soon" Harriet said with a smile, "he also wants you to stop feeling so jealous of your family enjoying other people's cooking." This "request" felt like a gut punch to Rosa, who refused to believe her father would say such a thing.

"Don't believe me...well, then; you can ask him for yourself" Harriet giggled coyly, "he will see you on Nov. 2nd and make sure to have a helping of your tamales ready." As both humans and monster folk chatted idly, Lola approached Miss Grimwood and lightly tugged on her cloak. "Um...Miss Grimwood, singing as a gremlin was...pretty cool, I guess" she murmured shyly, "but...could you use your magic to turn me into what I really like to be?"

The headmistress smiled warmly at her and gave a nod of acceptance to her request. "What is it that you would _really_ like to be tonight, dear" she asked, "anything you want?" After giggling with excitement for about ten seconds, Lola calmed herself down and whispered softly into Miss Grimwood's ear.

This did not go unnoticed by her students, who took the scene as an opportunity to show off to everyone what she can do. "And now, Ladies and Gentle-Monsters; prepare yourselves" Phantasma said dramatically, "get ready to see a dazzling display of Halloween magic!" With this statement, Miss Grimwood waved her wand over Lola and transformed her into the thing she desired to be the most; a queen.

In this look; she now appeared older, had long golden hair, a beautiful bejeweled crown atop her head, pink gloves and wore a dazzling violet-colored medieval gown. Lola also had a golden scepter in her right hand, which her family proclaimed she couldn't be a queen without one. But what truly amazed everyone was Lola's beautiful pink skin tone and her golden fairy wings.

The crowd gasped softly in surprise the headmistress' handiwork, while the Louds stared at their daughter/sister in amazement. "Hey, can you do me next" Lana begged, "I wanna be a werewolf like Winnie!" Without a second thought, Miss Grimwood immediately fulfilled the young toddler's request.

In the blink of an eye, she was suddenly changed into a blonde-furred werewolf pup. The only things that remained unchanged were her overalls, hat and shirt. "ME NEXT! DO _ME_ NEXT, PLEASE" Lincoln begged eagerly, "Clyde and I wanna see ourselves truly become Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack!"

With a hearty laugh and a nod, Miss Grimwood happily fulfilled his request; instantly changing Lincoln and Clyde into their favorite heroes. Only...they didn't look like themselves; rather, they appeared older and more muscular (like any comic hero would.) To say that the boys were pleased by this would be putting it mildly.

"This is amazing" Lincoln as Ace said in a booming, hero-like voice; "and...hey, we even have cool voices too! HA-HA!" As he and Clyde began posing like their heroes, the crowd couldn't help but cheer; while Biff and his crew stood slack-jawed in confusion at it all. "Don't cheer for them, you idiots" Biff shouted, "they're monsters...freaks of nature and they need to be destroyed!"

The punk kid sounded off in agreement but no one listened to either of them, choosing only to focus on the Grimwood Ghouls and their monster fam. "This is ridiculous" Vicky growled, "you should be running these freaks out of town!" What happened next could've been seen as Karma by many...but in Biff's eyes, it seemed like simple stupidity.

With his face scarlet with rage, the punk rock kid demanded everyone to listen to them; especially after all the work he claimed Biff put into having all this happen. With this simple phrase, everyone ceased chatting and turned towards the trio; who appeared to be sweating profusely with fear. "Uh...ha-ha, don't listen to my friend here" Biff chuckled softly, "the dye he uses for his Mohawk affects his brain, sometimes."

Sadly, this only seemed to make the crowd feel even more suspicious; as well as rather angry. Sensing the hostility of the crowd, Biff was ready to make a hasty retreat. But as he tried to run; the jock bumped into the chest of a tall, well-dressed military figure. This man was dressed in a blue officer's uniform with a matching blue hat.

At the center of the hat and shoulder pads were golden eagle pin, he had a red circle upon his right sleeve (possibly a military symbol) and a white scarf tucked neatly into his shirt. He also sported a pair of polished black shoes, a black belt around his waist with a golden square buckle at the center, had gold buttons on the pockets and cuffs of his shirt and there was a yellow streak on the outer side of his pants legs. Though Lincoln had no idea who this man was, it was clear that Biff did.

"C-C-Colonel Calloway...Sir, it's n-n-nice to see you" the jock murmured, "what brings you to town?" While still keeping a firm glare on Biff, the man known as Calloway said that he was asked to come and provide assistance to Miss Grimwood's class. "Wait...you wanted to _HELP_ Grimwood" Vicky shrieked in confusion, "but Biff said you guys hated each other!"

No sooner had she said all this, a group of boys suddenly surrounded her; each one wearing clothes that were near similar to the colonel's. These boys then faced the Grimwood Ghouls and offered a friendly salute, which they happily returned. Poor Biff was so confused by what was happening, he wondered if this was all a dream.

"Okay...this is getting ridiculous" he growled irritably, "first the town starts actually loving these freaks and now...I hear the Calloway Cadets are chummy with them?!" Upon hearing his cries; one of the cadets, a young lad with blonde hair and black eyes, made his way over to Biff. "First of all, cuz; we never 'hated' the Grimwood Girls" the boy said firmly, "at least not in the way _you're_ thinking."

While Biff continued to stare at this boy in shock, Lincoln stared as well...but mostly out of confusion. As if sensing this, Miss Grimwood called the Louds over and introduced them to her associates. "This is Col. Calloway, headmaster of the military school next door to mine" she stated, "these are some of his students; Masters Baxter, Grunt, Miguel, Jamal...and it seems Biff is familiar with Tug."

With a soft smile on his face, Lincoln greeted the group with a respectful salute; thinking it was the most appropriate gesture. "At ease, Mr. Loud" the Colonel said kindly, "now, then...what's exactly have you done to the girls here?" It was nerve-wracking enough seeing Calloway stare him down...but as he watched everyone else divert their gazes upon them, Biff and his cohorts knew they were in trouble.

(Line Break)

After a while, no one in Royal Woods desired to harm the students of Grimwood or their families. Instead, they were now becoming rather friendly between them; much to Miss Grimwood's delight. As for Biff and his friends; after hearing the punk boy's accidental confession, Mayor Davis disqualified them from the contest.

This decision pained her a little, truth be told because Biff turning his house into the Harvester's haunted farm left her feeling quite impressed. Afterwards; Officer Schoffner placed the trio under arrest for inciting a riot, poisoning Sibella (which she considered as a form of possible attempted murder,) spreading unjustified rumors throughout the town and wishing to harm innocent lives. "Hope you kids didn't have any plans for the holiday season" Detective Talon grumbled, "because with these sort of crimes, you'll be busy serving community service time."

Upon hearing this news, Lynn Jr. couldn't help but smile a little; thinking that this fate felt like a form of poetic justice. "Now you'll get to see what my sisters and I did over the summer, Packard" she exclaimed, "hope you like litter cleanup!" Enraged by this statement, Biff and his friends started bouncing about inside of the cruiser; screaming with rage.

However, Schoffner and her fellow officers decided to ignore that; choosing only to focus on speaking with Dracula and his family. "Thanks for helping out my in-laws, ladies" Jonathan said gratefully, "to think I used to be a scaredy cat about monsters like Biff was." Upon hearing this statement, Lincoln scoffed softly and said he and Biff were nothing alike.

"This is true" Dracula's wife, Vanna stated, "not all humans are like the ones who hated us, Drac; just look around." With a toothy grin upon his face, the Count looked about the crowd and saw his fellow monsters happily chatting amongst the human folk. "You are quite right, beloved" Dracula stated, "which leads me to my final decision."

After briefly calling for everyone's attention, he declared that humans and monsters _could_ coexist. "Thus, I happily side with Miss Grimwood's wishes to allow humans within her finishing school" Dracula proclaimed, "all in favor, howl and shriek!" Without delay, all of the count's fellow monsters sounded off loudly in their own way; along with a few humans as well.

"Now, hold on just a moment there" Miss Higgins interjected, "we'll all go along with your lil' plain there, Count...but on one condition." Upon making this statement, several people from the former angry mob began to line up before Miss Grimwood; asking her to work some of her witch magic on _them_ like she did for the Louds earlier. "Hold on...back up, did I hear you people right" questioned Vicky, "you actually _want _her to turn you into freaks and weirdoes?"

Rather than be insulted by the girl's terminology, Miss Grimwood smiled and proclaimed that Halloween was _made_ for "freaks and weirdoes." "I think I see what she means, everyone" Lincoln stated, "every other day of the year, we go about our lives in the same old way; which can get kinda boring...am I right?" Without pause, several teens and adults murmured softly in agreement with him.

"But then, there's Halloween Night" Zanya chimed in suddenly, "the one night in the year where we can become whatever and/or whoever we want!" Miss Grimwood cheered gleefully at the young one's enthusiasm, happy to see that the holiday's spirit still lived within them. She then turned towards the crowd and proclaimed that this applied to everyone, no matter what age they were.

"Make merry, everyone; pretend" Miss Grimwood chuckled, "let your most secret fantasies and fancies run wild!" After making this statement, she and the count approached Mayor Davis and her family; asking what they'd like to be. Without being asked twice, the mayor's children begged her to change them into their favorite members of the Full House Gang; Eight of Spades and Eleven of Hearts.

With a hearty chuckle, Miss Grimwood waved her wand over their heads and transformed them into the aforementioned heroes. With them taken care of, Miss Grimwood asked the mayor what _she'd_ like to be for one night. "Well...ever since I was a teenager, I'd always wanted to be a keytar player for a band" Davis confessed, "which explains why I always like playin' with my kids' electric keyboard."

Miss Grimwood nodded lightly in understanding and, one quick transformation later, the madam mayor of Royal Woods was changed into a 1980's style keytar musician. "What about you, Sir" she inquired while looking over in Flip's direction, "what is your deepest fantasy." With a bashful smile upon his face, the old man confessed how his mother always hoped he'd become a more "saintly" (i.e. generous) figure.

Of course, Miss Grimwood knew what he really meant...but as a small Halloween trick; she decided to take his statement in another direction. With one wave of her wand; the once grimy old man in dirty clothes was transformed into a clean, stoic and well-dressed saint. His look comprised of a hooded monk's robe, a gold staff called a crosier and a small satchel hanging from his belt.

After the transformation was finished, the first thing Flip said to the crowd was a brief yet harmonious Latin chant; _"dona nobis requiem."_ The next person who asked for a new look was Albert, who urged Miss Grimwood to turn him into a barbarian gladiator. A split second later, the old fellow got his wish and was transformed into a fierce warrior.

Instead of his usual pants, shirt and suspenders; Albert now wore leather shoulder-pads, a matching leather skirt, leather arm bands, sandals and held a spiked club in his hands. After he let out a fierce growl, the crowd gasped in pure astonishment. "Me next, please" begged Luan, "I wanna be a medieval jester!"

After her, all sorts of people began asking Miss Grimwood for new looks; from cowboys, to superheroes, movie stars...even animals. One would think that fulfilling so many requests would tire the headmistress out. But truth be told, she was absolutely euphoric about it all.

"Ah! Nice to know that I still got it, even after all these years" she laughed joyfully, "thank you all, my dears for making this old witch feel alive again!" The people of Royal Woods cheered loudly at her, expressing both their praise and thanks for her earlier gesture. "Whoops! Got so swept up in the excitement, I almost forgot to name a winner for the contest" Mayor Davis said suddenly, "and while the earlier competition _was_ rather stiff; after all this, I am proud to say that this year's winner is...LINCOLN LOUD!"

The other members of the townsfolk cheered loudly with joy at this news; while Lincoln's sisters, the Gal Pals and the Ghouls proceeded to swarm him in a group hug. Thankfully, in his Ace Savvy form; he was both big enough _and _strong enough to handle this much love. "Oh, Linky; we're so proud of you" Dana (as a black cat) gushed, "you've won a trophy of your own!"

Lynn Sr. and Rita were especially proud of him, believing he truly earned the victory; after all the mental stress he put himself through. Soon after her announcement was made, Mayor Davis happily handed the "Best Decorator Award" (which was actually a plaque) to Lincoln. But surprisingly enough; though he felt honored to receive it, he claimed he didn't truly earn it.

"I mean...thanks to Biff, he distracted you from judging everyone else's homes" Lincoln stated, "I feel like I'm robbing them of a fair chance at the award." While his words did hold _some_ truth in them, the townspeople agreed that he deserved it. "If not for the competition, at least accept it for everything else you've done" Mavis insisted, "you not only helped make my sister and her friends feel welcome here...you also helped establish good relations between our kinds."

After this, the Ghost of Harriet Loud added that though he felt nervous about it and had his doubts; Lincoln _still_ went along with trying to set everything up. "That showed me that all is truly well between you and your sisters, now" she said with a broad smile, "that alone proves you deserve credit where credit is due." While he still felt otherwise; Lincoln understood there was little chance of him winning the argument and, with a playful shrug, he accepted the award and the prize money.

The whole time this was happening, Biff continued flailing about in his seat; claiming _he_ deserved the award more than Lincoln did. "That is it, I've grown weary of the boy's ravings" Dracula scowled, "it's time he had a little rest!" With that said; he floated over towards the police cruiser, much to the trio's shock, and stared at them intently.

"W-W-What's going on" Vicky murmured fearfully, "why are you staring at us like..." Before she could finish her statement, Vicky's eyes suddenly flashed red; as did Biff's and the punk kid's. Within moments, everyone saw that Dracula's eyes had the same glow as well.

"What's going on" Lori asked uneasily, "Sibella...is your dad doing something to them or..." The young vampiress chuckled softly and assured everyone that all was well. "My daddy's simply using his hypnotic stare on them" she explained, "which will put them all to sleep in 3...2...1."

Upon finishing her countdown, Biff and his cronies instantly fell into a deep slumber; snoring loudly. "There ve are" Dracula said with relief, "they'll be sleeping for the next few hours; which will make your ride all the quieter, Officer." Officer Schoffner (who now looked like a female version of Rambo) smiled at the Count and thanked him for his help.

"I'm happy all this turned out well...but there's just one problem" Rita stated, "how are we going to throw a party for the whole town?" With this simple question, the Louds suddenly realized the issue and frowned. As hard as it is for the house to handle their own kind of parties, it wouldn't be able to hold up against all of Royal Woods going wild.

"Don't you fret Mrs. Loud" Miss Grimwood assured, "we can hold the party at my school!" The Ghouls and their fathers all sounded off loudly in agreement, even the Calloway Cadets liked the idea. "Are you sure it's no trouble, Ms. G" questioned Luna, "we may be a small town...but Royal Woods is a _big_ small town with loads of people."

With a hearty chuckle, Miss Grimwood said that there was no trouble at all; adding that she had held many grand engagements at her mansion many times before. "In that case, Aggie; lead the way" Albert stated, "I'm ready and rarin' for a party! Almost instantly, the entire crowd sounded off in agreement with him.

This all made not only Lucy excited but her fellow Junior Morticians as well. To see an actual monster school was like a dream come true for them, a real Halloween treat as it were.

(Scene Change: Miss Grimwood's Finishing School)

Back over at Miss Grimwood's school, the whole building echoed loudly with sounds of music and laughter. Inside; everyone, human _and_ monster was having the best Halloween of their lives. Meanwhile, Miss Grimwood was having a brief chat with Lisa; asking if she could help...modernize things a little in her school.

"If my girls and your brother are going to continue communicating with one another, we will need the right gear" she stated, "phones, computers...and those rather small cameras you place on top of them." Lisa nodded slightly in understanding and said she would be happy to help...on the condition that _she_ would get to be one of the first human students to attend her school. "I shall see what I can do, dear" Miss Grimwood stated, "but I've already got three other applicants in mind."

When Lisa asked who the applicants were; she was shown three folders belonging to Haiku, Lucy and Lincoln. Speaking of whom, the young lad in question was thoroughly enjoying his new look; wishing he could stay this way forever. "Now, what fun would that be" Carol said suddenly, "if you looked like this all the time...I'd miss seeing my special little guys cute face."

Naturally, this statement caused Lincoln to blush deeply; insisting that his guardian didn't talk that way about him in front of the Ghouls. But before he could protest further, a familiar purple bat flew up to him and pecked him on the cheek; causing Lincoln to turn even redder. "It looks like our new Gal Pal agrees with me" Carol chuckled, "same with the rest of her crew."

With a coy smile on his face, Lincoln looked across the room and spotted the rest of the Ghouls; who proceeded to exclaim "GAL PALS" upon seeing him. But then, he noticed that one of them was missing; Phantasma. Of course, he didn't have too far too look.

At the western edge of the room, Lincoln spotted her sitting in front of a large antique organ. Beside her were Luna, Hector, Robert, his dad and Mayor Davis; who all appeared to have their music gear with them. "AH! HA-HA-HA-HA! Get ready, everybody" Phanty giggled, "time to kick this Halloween party into overdrive!"

With that said, she began to play a tune on the organ; which signaled Robert and Mayor Davis to follow her lead. Once the music started up, it signaled Lynn Sr. and the others to begin singing. "This little ditty goes out to our new monster pals" Luna decreed, "especially Miss G., the baddest witch in the building!"

After everyone lightly chuckled at the rocker's little joke (much to Luan's jealousy,) the band kicked up and started to sing a sort of disco Halloween song. Not wishing to be left out, Miss Grimwood took out her wand and began to provide some effects and visuals for the melody.

(As the music plays and Luna sings, an image of a sick Lucy in bed appears overhead of the crowd)

_If you're stuck inside and you can't get out_

_And you feel like being free_

(an image of Miss Grimwood smiling appears before it shows her waving her wand)

_Grab a witch and make a switch and see what you can be!_

(Luna, Lynn Sr., Phantasma, Robert, Mayor Davis and Hector sing while playing their instruments)

_That's Halloween!_

_Witch Magic Halloween!_

_Halloween, Witch Magic Halloween (Halloween, Halloween)_

(The next verse of the song is "sung" by Robert and Mayor Davis. But in reality, it's only musical notes that sound like synthesized speech)

_Halloween, it's a dream. TRICK R' TREAT!_

(Musical warbling plays)

(the whole crowd starts to sing together with the band)

_That's Halloween!_

_Witch Magic Halloween!_

_Halloween, Witch Magic Halloween (Halloween, Halloween)_

_That's Halloween!_

_Witch Magic Halloween!_

_Halloween, Witch Magic Halloween (Halloween, Halloween)_

While the band plays and everybody dances; Leni, who is wearing a sort of peacock outfit, spots Matches sniffing around the floor. "Aww! You must be hungry, little guy" she cooed softly, "want a piece of candy?" After she ruffles her hand through her peacock feathers for a bit, she brings out a small piece of caramel and offers it to Matches.

With a joyful purr, the little dragon hops over and takes the candy from her. Before eating it; he looks up and says the words "thank you, Happy Halloween!" Needless to say, this came as quite a surprise for the young teen.

"OM GOSH! That's totes cute" she squealed, "you never told us you could talk!" Excited by this little trick, Leni made a quick beeline back to the dance floor; eager to tell the others what she saw. While alone; Matches turns towards the viewer, gives a mischievous chuckle and winks.

Then, the ghost of Harriet Loud flew out of the dragon and giggled at him. "Thanks for letting me do that, boy" she said gratefully, "I know it's not right to trick Leni...but without tricks, it wouldn't really be Halloween." The two chuckled softly in agreement at the statement and proceeded back to the dance floor, eager to rejoin the party.

(First AN: And thus, the Fall Arc has ended and a party is a great way to end this part of the anthology; am I right. Originally, I thought of making a Thanksgiving oneshot to be the true definitive end to the Fall Arc. But I realized such a thing wouldn't work. The main reason for that is the fact that in a sense, the Gal Pals are...kinda, sorta like family now to Lincoln and Thanksgiving is all about being with family.

But seeing as how The Loudest Thanksgiving, a special within the original show, did a rather...sub-par job at trying to share a member of the Louds with other people on the holiday; I didn't want to give my readers a feeling of déjà vu.

Thus, I've decided to use Halloween as the finale for this arc and will only briefly mention Thanksgiving in the Winter Arc premiere. I hope that makes sense to you, everyone and I hope you enjoyed the Halloween Hilarity Four-Parter. Hope to see you in the next installment)

(Second AN: This part of the adventure contained references from not one but _two_ Halloween specials, one widely recognized and the other...rather obscure by many. The first one being the performance of This is Halloween, which is a song from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. Many consider it to be the official/unofficial "anthem" of the Halloween season...I know I do.

The second Halloween special reference is the obscure one, only a rare few even know of it. More to the point, the song "Witch Magic Halloween" that the gang plays near the end is from Witch's Night Out; a Canadian animated special that premiered on NBC back in 1978. Moving along, both songs are under ownership of the aforementioned owners.

I hold no claim to either of them, I only wanted to share them in the story because the songs sounded so catchy. Thank you for understanding and to those who haven't heard of it, look up Witch's Night Out on YouTube; you might actually like it)

(Third AN: For those who haven't read this note in the last part, here it is again, since they officially appeared in this one. While Miss Grimwood, the Ghouls, the Cadets and Matches are all Hanna-Barbara characters from the Ghoul School movie; Mavis, Jonathan and Dennis are all from Hotel Transylvania 2 and 3. The latter and its characters are all owned by Sony Animation, not me.

Just thought I'd be safe and make that clear again)

(Fourth AN: Speaking of Dennis; the phrase Carlota, Dolores, their mothers and Maria Santiago all say is _"Ay Que Lindo."_ In English, the phrase means "oh how cute/oh so cute;" for those unfamiliar with the language. Not only did I think it would be a perfect thing for them to say. I especially wanted someone like Officer Campos to scream it as well, considering how police officers don't make such exclamations openly...that I know of)

(Fifth AN: I wish to express my thanks one final time to Thefoxmage for letting me use some of _his/her_ ideas for this four-parter. To make certain I would do them proper justice, I did research on characters like Zanya in his/her Ghoul School story. If I've described her parents incorrectly, I apologize)

(Sixth AN: To anyone who felt Biff and his associates were too vilified in this four-parter, understand this. He's the kind of bully who never lets anything go, especially grudges and Biff's got one heck of a grudge on him. Such behavior leads to people doing stupid stuff...like stalking people or intentionally trying to poison them *like what he did to Sibella.*

Now that he's got his own Community Service work to do, he'll understand exactly what his former hero "endured." Hopefully, it will all make Biff a more humble person as well)

(Seventh AN: In regards to the part where Matches spoke; in the movie, he mostly communicates through growls or gruff/raspy murmurs of words. But seeing as how this is a Halloween story, I wanted Matches to play just a tiiiny trick on Leni for funsies. Sorry if anyone felt confused by that part)

(Final AN: For both the performance piece _and_ the Halloween party at the end, I wanted everyone to have a costume that best reflected who they wanted/hoped to be but never could any other time of the year. For example, while Lola's fairy queen request was an obvious one; I wanted Flip to be transformed into a sort of "saint," which is rather unheard of for people like him. As for the mayor, I chose keytar player because she...just seemed to love playing with her kids' keyboard.

Sorry if that one seemed uninspired)


	18. The Gifting with the Gal Pals - Part One

The Gifting with the Gal Pals – Part One

(Story Summary: In part one of this premiere oneshot for the Winter Arc, the holiday season come again to Royal Woods and everyone is preparing for the big day as quickly as they can; including Lincoln. But while out shopping for his family, he's also on the lookout for anything the Gal Pals might love. At the same time, however; the rest of Loud Family is not quite so anxious for Christmas Eve, this year.

After everything that happened during the Spring Break season, last year; they fear that Santa may have them on the Naughty List forever. Will this Christmas be a bust for everybody, will Lincoln be able to get his shopping done on time...or will he need to do some extra work to earn a little extra cash?)

Christmastime has come again for the small rural town of Royal Woods. Every house was coated with snow, the bright glow of holiday lights could be seen almost everywhere and the sounds of children at play rang out merrily. Suddenly, like a shooting star, a red blur suddenly whizzed by along the sidewalk; accidentally knocking some kids over in the process.

In reality; this blur was none other than Lincoln Loud, riding along the way on his trusty Fearsome Flyer sled. "Sorry about that, everybody" he called over his shoulder, "I'm kinda in a hurry and I need to get where I'm going quick!" Those who saw Lincoln pass by either wished him a "Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday," yelled for him to slow down or simply dismissed his speedy sledding as innocent play.

In any case; as long as his sledding didn't purposely put anyone in direct danger, no one gave him heck for it. Soon, Lincoln's sledding led him to the downtown area; where he finds himself going down a large street slope. While still keeping onto the sidewalk, Lincoln suddenly picked up speed and went straight down said slope.

Admittedly, this was one of the wildest experiences he had on his sled in years. But then, in the blink of an eye; Lincoln suddenly remembered the fundamental flaw of fast sled-riding...remembering how to stop. As he zoomed down the slope, Lincoln looked ahead and spotted a mound of snow left behind by a passing plow.

Typically, he always hated accidentally ramming into such things while sledding. But in cases like _this,_ where he needed to come to full and complete stop;Lincoln always made an exception. After positioning himself just right, Lincoln and his Fearsome Flyer continued to surge forward until...WHAM!

Though dizzy, mildly sore and covered in snow from every side; Lincoln was still in one piece and so was his sled. "Thank goodness I stopped when I did" he murmured to himself, "I dunno if I'd get a ticket from Miss Higgins, Simmons or Campos; if they saw me sledding that fast." After making sure everything was still in tact, Lincoln dusted off the excess snow from his clothes and his sled.

While doing so; he caught sight of the viewer "watching him," chuckled softly and gave a little wave in greeting. "Happy Holidays, everybody" he stated, "you're all probably wondering why I was goin' so fast back there, no doubt?" After collecting his sled under his arm, Lincoln decided to go the rest of the way on foot while explaining things to the "viewer."

"As you can see around me, Christmas Day is coming soon" he explained, "which means you can expect all sorts of singing, laughing, merriment and (in some cases) hasty preparations going on in town." As Lincoln made his way down another part of the neighborhood, his ears were soon filled with the soft melodies of carolers singing. At the same time, Lincoln could also smell the rich scent of Christmas goodies baking in people's homes.

"Yup, everyone's getting excited for the big night" he said with a blissful sigh, "everyone...except for my sisters, that is." Upon saying this, he quickly assured the viewer that his family wasn't becoming a group of Scrooges. "Far from it...actually, after Thanksgiving; a few of them were already making up ideas for what they wanted from the big guy" Lincoln stated, "you guys know who I talking about, right?"

Within seconds, a thought bubble popped up over his head and an image of Santa Claus instantly appeared; giving out his iconic "Ho-Ho-Ho" laugh. When the bubble popped; Lincoln confessed that his sisters feared ol' St. Nick would decide not to visit the Loud House, this year. "I don't think I need to explain _why_ they're so afraid" he said dryly, "but...just in case there are any newbies out there, allow me to give you a quick recap."

(With the aid of his cellphone, Lincoln begins to show the "viewer" a sort of "clip show" version of the events from the original Gal Pals story. Said clips featured many of the... not so nice moments between Lincoln and his sisters, for lack of better terms.)

"To make a long story short; around Spring Break of this year, my family and I had...a bit of a tiff" Lincoln murmured, "words were said, fights were had and we all had to go to court to settle everything." Having said this, he assures the "viewer" that things were now back to normal between him and his sisters again. "Sure, we have our 'sibling moments' still; like me having to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with Lynn on some nights for the remote or trying to be quicker on the whole 'not it' thing we do" Lincoln chuckled, "but they aren't quite as severe as they were before."

After this, he reminded everyone of the community work his family did and all the classes his sisters had been taking. "Yet...even with all this in mind, my sisters are afraid" Lincoln sighed, "they're afraid that Santa might skip over our house, after learning about what happened." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln informed everyone that the "big guy" had his way of knowing these sorts of things.

"My little sister, Lisa used to be doubtful of these kind of things" he chuckled, "but after last Christmas, she's become...slightly more open-minded." After saying all this, Lincoln quickly got back to the main point of his story and revealed the reason why he was sledding so fast earlier; to get to the mall and find something special for his sisters. "Sadly, I don't know how much time I have left" confessed Lincoln, "with Christmas Day being almost two weeks away, I wonder how much stuff will be left on the shelves!"

With that said, he doubled up his running speed and hurried off to the next crosswalk. While running; Lincoln tells the "viewer" that for a "mission" like this, he would need plenty of backup to help him. With that in mind; reached into his pocket, brought out a walkie-talkie and pressed the button.

"Calling Cupid, Comet, Donner and Blitzen; this is Dasher" he called out softly, "repeat...this is Dasher calling in, does anyone read me?" After a few seconds of waiting, some feedback was heard and Lincoln could immediately hear Clyde's voice murmuring on the other end. _"This is Cupid here; read you loud and clear, Dasher" _he replied, _"the guys and I are all here at the mall entrance waiting for you."_

Before signing off, Rusty's voice quickly chimed in and he proceeded to ask why they were using the names of reindeer for their codenames. "It matches with the holiday season, Rusty" Lincoln said simply, "anyway, you guys have all the money you need to get your shopping done?" One by one, each of Lincoln's four male friends sounded off in response; which made him all the more pleased.

"Great to hear, guys" Lincoln said with delight, "I'll meet you there in just a bit." Almost immediately; Zach, through the walkie-talkie, asked Lincoln if he planned on sledding the whole way there. "Originally, I _was_ thinking on that" he chuckled sheepishly, "but after crashing into at least, three snow mounds on the way...I think I'll just take the bus up to the mall."

After that, Lincoln said his goodbyes to the boys and made his way over to the bus stop.

(Line Break)

Down at the mall entrance; Clyde and the boys were standing outside, waiting patiently for Lincoln to show up (or _impatiently,_ in Rusty's case.) But after almost fourteen minutes of standing in the cold, they were just about ready to give up. "C'mon, guys; let's head in" grumbled Rusty, "I think my _hair_ is starting to freeze!" Ever the dutiful friend, Clyde vowed to stay put at the entrance; no matter how long it took.

"If'n the cold don't scare ya none, pardner...the crowds inside might" Liam murmured fearfully, "if and when Lincoln _does_ get here; by then, things will be real crazy inside!" No sooner had he said all this, the boys spotted the bus stopping off at the parking lot. As the doors opened and everyone began to exit it orderly, they immediately spotted Lincoln within the crowd and waved to him.

Without any further delay, the young Loud boy rushed up to his friends and exchanged a quick high-five with each of them. With each slap he gave them, Lincoln's friends sighed with relief due to their hands feeling slightly warmer. "Sorry to keep you waiting, fellas" he said apologetically, "the bus got caught behind a snow plow and we had to wait _forever_ for it to move aside."

Before anything else could be said; Rusty quickly said "no harm done," got behind the boys and gingerly pushed them all through the mall entrance. Once inside, they were immediately enveloped by the soft touch of the warm air; which caused them to sigh deeply with satisfaction. "Quick mental note for the future" Zach said suddenly, "next Christmas, if one of us hasn't arrived yet; we wait _inside _the mall for them to arrive."

Without hesitation, the other four boys quickly sounded off with a simple "aye" and shook hands in agreement. "Okay...we're here, now" Rusty murmured, "so, where should we go first?" The first suggestion came from Clyde, who said that his dads were looking into buying some new sweaters they spotted during their Black Friday shopping.

"I'm fixin' to get my hand on some new cookin' tools for my Mee Maw" Liam stated, "plus...Dory's been pleadin' for somebody to get her that new Blarney the Dinosaur doll she saw on the TV." Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at this, due to the fact that both Lana _and _Lola were just as anxious for it. "If you find any, save one for me" he stated, "I'll be browsing around for ideas."

Before departing, Rusty called Lincoln back over and asked whom _he_ was shopping for. "Yeah, Linc; _you_ have more on your plate than the rest of us" Zach stated, "not only do you have your parents and ten sisters to shop for, you've also got your...extended family, the Gal Pals to keep in mind." Lincoln shook his head slightly and assured his friend that he'd already got the aforementioned "extended family" taken care of.

"Over Thanksgiving Break, I've been working on something for each of the Gals" he stated, "but I can't tell you what it is, they might try and get you to tell them...and before you even say it; that _will_ happen, Rusty." It didn't take long for the boys to understand the meaning of those words. Once too often, the Gals managed to get them to squeal about something; not through force...but through their own charms.

With this in mind, they fully understood Lincoln's point and respected his wishes for secrecy. "Now...as for my _blood family_, I'm okay there" he assured, "I'll simply browse the different stores and see if anything catches my eye." While the plan didn't have a 100% success guarantee, it was still something Lincoln could work with.

After this, they began to formulate the second half of their plan; find what they need at the mall, inform everyone on their success on their walkie-talkies and meet back at the main lobby. "Sounds like a good idea" Rusty stated, "there's just one other thing we need to keep in mind." Without hesitation, he revealed the one thing that could put a monkey wrench into their whole trip; crazy holiday shoppers.

"He's not joking, Lincoln" Zach stated, "you can never know when the crazy ones will strike next." Upon saying this, the intercom above them suddenly turned on and a female voice started speaking through it. _"Attention, shoppers; attention"_ it called out softly, _"just to remind you, the boutique is having a special holiday sale price...four pairs for $30."_

The moment the price was announced, the boys suddenly felt the ground beneath them quaking violently. As Lincoln braved a look behind him, he spotted a crowd of mad shoppers charging in their direction. They tried to find cover but the stampede was so big, there was little space to run away to.

As a result, the boys were suddenly trampled by the crowd of mad shoppers. Five seconds later, they had disappeared into the east side of the mall. Meanwhile; Lincoln and his friends were still in one piece, despite their joints aching slightly and looking a little dirty with footprints on their clothes.

In spite of all this, they were still quite okay and thankful none of them were seriously hurt. "I see what you meant now, Rusty" Lincoln groaned softly while shaking his head, "best keep watch for any big crowds in this place...for safety sake." Everyone nodded in agreement, did a quick hands in the middle cheer and wished each other luck on their shopping ventures.

_"Keep your eyes peeled from here on out, Lincoln"_ the young Loud boy thought to himself, _"after what just happened, who knows how crazy the rest of the mall will be."_

(Scene Change: the West Side of the Mall)

Moments later, Lincoln arrived at the music shop and was browsing through the Rock section of the CDs. Sadly, in Lincoln's mind; it looked as though nothing there truly screamed "Luna" or even his dad's name. Even on the shelf that showed albums of Mick Swagger's work were ones that they already owned.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he passed by a poster that made his eyes grow wide with amazement. On it; it advertised "For a Limited Time: Enjoy This New Collab Album Featuring Two of the Biggest Names in Music" and at the bottom; Lincoln saw Mick's name alongside that of a band that both he _and _his sister loved...SMOOCH. "A CD with two of my sisters favorite musicians playing side-by-side...AWESOME" Lincoln cried with joy, "I wonder how much it costs?"

Upon thinking this, he took a look at the bottom of the poster; hoping to find a price sticker. The moment he found it, Lincoln's eyes almost popped out of his head in shock. _"Excuse me...this thing is _HOW MUCH_" _Lincoln screamed mentally, _"that's like..._half _the spending budget my parents gave me!"_

With that thought in mind, he quickly turned away from the advertisement; not wishing to perform any kind of accidental reckless spending. With that idea scrapped, Lincoln's only remaining option was to look through the bargain bin; the place where all dated music is stored. While rummaging through the array of CDs, tapes and other random items; Lincoln feared he wouldn't find anything either Luna or his dad might like.

But then, after a while; something caught his eye...an album featuring a (supposedly) younger Mick Swagger on the cover. The title read Classic Mick; which, to Lincoln must've meant that this was some of his earlier work. _"Luna_ has been _listening to Mick's music since I was little"_ Lincoln murmured thoughtfully, _"I wonder if she's ever had a CD like_ this _before?"_

For several moments; he simply stood there, staring at the CD intently. On one hand, a part of him believed she might already have this album in her collection and getting another copy would seem like a waste. But on the other hand, not only did this particular one seem rather unfamiliar to him; it was also reasonably priced.

Lincoln would've been staring at the CD forever, had he not heard the sounds of impatient coughing reach his ears. He looked to the side and spotted the store cashier, who appeared to be tapping her fingers upon the counter rhythmically with a slightly sour look upon her face. "This is a store, little dude; not a library" she said firmly, "you plan on buying that or not?"

With this simple inquiry, Lincoln's choice was clear and he decided to purchase the CD for Luna. If she already had a copy of it, he could offer it up to his dad instead. In the end; Lincoln made his purchase, offered a short but sweet Merry Christmas to the cashier and was about to make his way out.

But then, just as his foot hovered over the linoleum floor outside the store...Lincoln suddenly froze. _"Hold up, dude"_ he thought to himself, _"best make sure the coast is clear, before you leave." _With that in mind, Lincoln cautiously stuck his head outside and looked both ways three times over.

After the third time, he saw that the coast was clear and cautiously made his way out. Lincoln was about halfway down the hall when suddenly, the intercom chimed on again. This time, it announced a special deal at the boutique; 80% off to the first ten people to enter.

_"Oh, no...of all sale deals, why_ that one_"_ Lincoln thought fearfully, _"I gotta hide somewhere quick before I get trampled again!" _His eyes darted side-to-side worriedly, hoping to find _anyplace _to find cover. If what his sister, Leni told him about the Senior Shopping Extravaganza at Reininger's taught him anything, it's that 80% sales _always_ brought out the crazies.

With this thought in mind, Lincoln made another attempt to find any kind of hiding spot to take cover in. After a while, he found only one visible place to do so...a nearby pretzel cart. With few other choices in mind, Lincoln dove towards the cart and pressed himself up against it for safety.

At the same time, a crowd of Holiday Shoppers came charging by like a herd of mad longhorns; each one of them desperate to get to the big sale. As he watched them run down through the eastern side of the mall, Lincoln sighed with relief; happy that he didn't get caught up in another trampling. But somehow, Fate believed he shouldn't get away from this clean as a whistle and decided to "remedy the situation."

As the crowd continued running by, the vibrations from their stampeding feet caused the salt shaker from the pretzel cart to topple off the counter. Not long after that; it fell atop Lincoln's head, spilled some salt on his hair, fell to the floor and spilled its remaining contents all over. Upon hearing all this; the pretzel vendor looked down, saw the mess and cursed himself under his breath.

"Aw, dude...that tanks" he grumbled, "that's like, the tenth time that's happened to me this week!" Before long, the teenaged vendor suddenly slipped into a fearful tirade; talking about how his boss will take money out of _his_ Christmas bonus to refill the salt shaker again. Upon hearing all this, Lincoln suddenly felt a twinge of empathy for the teen and wished he could help make things right.

The moment this thought popped into his head, an idea suddenly struck the young Loud boy. "Hey, uh...Mister" he murmured shyly, "don't worry about using your pay to refill the salt, take some of _mine_." After saying this, Lincoln quickly drew out one of the twenties from his Shopping Budget and presented it to the vendor.

Upon seeing the money, the vendor was mere seconds away from accepting it. But then, he said that he shouldn't expect patrons to pay for _his_ mistakes and told the boy to keep it. "It's my fault, really" the vendor murmured shamefully, "when big crowds come running through, you've gotta put the salt shaker on a more stable spot or hold onto it so that it."

While all of this was true, Lincoln still offered up the money to him; assuring the vendor that he still had "plenty more left to use" (though he wasn't entirely certain on that.) "Please, I don't want to see you get in trouble for an accident" Lincoln urged kindly, "in honor of Christmas...it's the least I can do to help." Though he still had his reservations, the teenage vendor knew to never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Thus, in the end; he accepted Lincoln's offer and told the boy he "owed him big for his generosity." "Think nothing of it, dude" Lincoln said humbly, "just make sure to keep that salt in a safer spot, next time...and Merry Christmas!" With that, he made a quick beeline down the west side of the mall; eager to get to his next destination before another stampeding shopping crowd would appear.

Meanwhile, the pretzel vendor collected the fallen shaker and was in the midst of cleaning up and disposing of the bits of salt that remained on the floor. While he did all this, he watched Lincoln's form disappear into the distance and smiled. _"I can't believe that kid used money from his own pocket to help me"_ he thought warmly, _"nice to see that not all Christmas shoppers are crazy out there."_

(Line Break)

Sometime later, after making a quick stop at the restroom to clean the salt from his hair; Lincoln made his way to the book store (not to be confused with the comic shop he frequently visits.) Upon entering, the first thing he grabbed was a journal full of blank pages; proclaiming that Lucy was in need of a new poetry journal for some time. Unfortunately, the twenty he gave the pretzel vendor earlier cut his budget down slightly.

Thus, the journal he picked out from the shelf had a relatively basic black and white cover. _"It's not really _that _bad"_ he thought to himself, _"the cover has two of Lucy's favorite colors...and it has over 300 pages inside."_ Upon double checking the contents; Lincoln believed that with so many pages inside, Lucy would be able to write months worth of material.

After this, he came across a joke book; which immediately made him think of Luan. But upon studying the cover intently, Lincoln saw that the title read "1,001 Anti-Jokes;" which was something he seldom ever heard of. "Maybe there's some stuff here Luan can use that could actually be funny" Lincoln suggested to the "viewer," "let's have a quick peek and see."

With this idea in mind, he picked up the book and began to study the jokes inside. At first, a few of them only made his eyes roll in annoyance like...

"Knock Knock"

"Who's There?"

"To"

"To Who?"

"It's actually 'To Whom.'"

But once or twice, he came across a few jokes that actually made him laugh heartily. "'What did the farmer say after he lost his tractor'" he murmured softly, "'where's my tractor?'" Another joke tricked Lincoln with the tagline "'here's some of my favorite ones.'"

When he looked beneath said line; instead of finding a list of jokes...he only found a list of "ones" in other languages, instead (one, _uno, un, ein_ etc.) Regardless, he actually found the trick pretty funny and felt that even Lisa might like that. As he went on to the next joke, he saw that it was one of those classic scenario ones.

It told a story about an owl and a squirrel sitting on a fence, watching a farmer go by. The owl then looked to the squirrel and said nothing because, as the book read, owls couldn't talk. In the end, the owl eats the squirrel because it's a bird of prey.

"Is it just me or did _that_ joke feel like something either Lucy or Lisa came up with" Lincoln asked himself, "I dunno if Luan would like that particular joke." After that, he went on to the final joke on the page and...he did everything he could not to burst out laughing. It read "Queue is just 'Q' with four silent letters after it; you're not silent, you're just waiting your turn."

"Okay, that settles it" Lincoln said with a light chuckle, "this book would be perfect for Luan." With that said, he placed the book in his shopping bag beside Lucy's notebook and went back to browsing the shelves. At one point, Lincoln came upon another advertisement poster; one promoting a sale for a "hot item" on display.

Said item was a hardcover book with the title "The Mystic Wood of Avilar: The Jewel of the Elements." _"Oh, yeah; I think I heard Haiku talking about this book before"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"said that it's the latest part of the series." _In that moment, he set out to try and find any copies of the book; hoping that it would be at a reasonable price.

But when he asked the store clerk about it, she regretfully informed Lincoln that their last batch of copies sold out earlier today. "I'll tell you what, kid" she said kindly, "I could order you a copy online and have it get sent to your house after the holiday; is it a deal?" For a moment or so, Lincoln hesitated; contemplating the opportunity that was presented to him.

On one hand; if he took up on the clerk's offer, he'd _still_ be getting Haiku a Christmas gift. But on the other hand, he wasn't sure if she would approve of receiving a gift _after_ Christmas was over. In the end, Lincoln decided to politely decline but still thanked the clerk for her kindness.

"Alrighty, then; let's see here" the woman murmured, "your subtotal comes down too...twenty dollars even." Without delay; he paid for his books, thanked the clerk for her service, wished her a Happy Holiday and went off on his way. As he stepped out of the store, Lincoln gave a sigh of relief and felt thankful that he still had sixty dollars left on his spending budget.

At the same time, however; he felt mildly ashamed that he wasn't able to get the Mystic Wood of Avilar book for Haiku. True, he _would've_ procured a copy, if he'd taken up on the sales clerk's offer. But he didn't like the idea of having one of his friends wait till possibly January to receive it.

"At least I got two of my sisters covered" Lincoln murmured, "that just leaves...eight more left." The moment this thought popped into his head, the young Loud boy pondered how he would be able to shop for the rest of his family with only sixty dollars left. Not to mention the fact that he'd yet to find anything for the Gal Pals.

_"Keep your chin up, Lincoln" _he thought to himself, _"you'll find some more stuff for the family...and you've got your friends to help you as well."_ With this spark of hope burning within him, Lincoln set out to continue the remainder of his shopping venture; hoping to find more gifts for his family.

A few minutes after he left, the bookstore clerk spotted the pretzel vendor passing by and greeted him with a hearty hello. "Off on your break, I'm guessing; right" the clerk asked, "bet you're glad to get a chance to be off your feet right now." The vendor responded to this inquiry by plonking himself upon a nearby bench and sighing heavily.

"As tiring as being on my feet was, the real issue came when my salt shaker fell after some shoppers stampeded past me" he groaned, "it fell and landed on some...white-haired kid who took cover by my cart." The bookstore clerk blinked slightly in surprise, proclaiming that _she_ saw a similar kid come in just a while ago. "Hold up...did you say this kid helped _pay_ to replace your salt" she asked, earning a light nod from the vendor; "huh, I thought shoppers would all be in their 'every man for himself' mindset."

The pretzel vendor chuckled softly, expressing his thanks that not everyone was riding on the Crazy Train during the holidays. "I just hope he'll get through the rest of his shopping okay" he stated, "if the kid's not careful, he could either come up short on gifts...or he could get trampled by the crowds."

(Line Break)

Ironically enough, Lincoln was experiencing those very troubles (or at least, _half_ of them.) First, when he arrived at the jewelry shop; he hoped to find something that his mother, one of his more "fashion oriented" sisters or even Carol might like. But when he got a look at the prices, not only was everything twice the amount of his original shopping budget but he couldn't buy any of the cheaper baubles with his twenty.

"I thought stores were supposed to have big deals for the holiday season" Lincoln muttered dejectedly, "but all this looks like the same prices during the rest of the year!" Three times over, Lincoln scoured the store; hoping to find at least _one _pair of earrings or even a necklace worth less than sixty bucks...but to no avail. With a defeated sigh, Lincoln left the store and decided to go check the Sporting Goods shop; hoping to find something for Lynn.

But when he arrived, Lincoln saw nothing new or interesting in the place; just the same old items that his sister already had in bulk. With that idea down the drain, he considered going into Reininger's next and see if _they _might have any good deals. _"I doubt I'll be able to find anything stylish for twenty bucks"_ Lincoln thought, _"but you never know."_

With his mind made up, Lincoln made his way towards the opposite side of the mall; where a small electronics shop could be seen. There, Lincoln set out to find a new camera for Phoebe or something Lori could use for her phone. But...much to his dismay, everything there cost far more than what he had on hand still.

By the time he left the store, ten minutes later; he _did _manage to buy something...a small yet stylishly decorated picture frame. Granted, it wasn't one of those fancy digital ones; just a typical wooden frame with a glass cover and some adorable emojis along the frame. _"Maybe...Maybe Lori could use something like this"_ Lincoln thought hesitantly, _"at least, I hope she will." _

After he carefully placed the frame into his bag with the two books he purchased; Lincoln reached into his pocket, pulled out his leftover cash and sighed dejectedly. In his hand, there was only one twenty dollar bill remaining; much to his dismay. Looking back to when he was in the store; Lincoln felt as though he'd been punched in the gut, when he heard how much the one frame cost.

"After buying this, handing the pretzel vendor some money for the replacement salt earlier, the CD I got for Luna and buying the two books I found for Lucy and Luan; I've got so little cash left to spare" Lincoln murmured, "but...at least I've got _four _of my sisters taken care of now." As Lincoln looked at the lone twenty in his hand, he questioned himself on what else he could buy with it. _"Maybe I could find something at a good price in the boutique" _he pondered, _"like a snow scarf for Mom...or something for Lola."_

With this in mind, he left the electronics store and went off to another area of the mall. Along the way, he caught sight of something that made him smile a little. It was an elderly bell ringer, the kind that stands out in public areas asking for charitable donations from passersby for the less fortunate.

Upon getting a closer look at him, Lincoln saw that this man was dressed in a long-sleeved Christmas sweater, red pants, wore a red apron around his torso and sported a small red and green wool hat on his head. He looked either middle-aged or elderly (to Lincoln's eyes,) was about five feet tall and despite his portly physique, he looked rather healthy for his age.

But perhaps, the most noticeable thing about this stranger was his long, snow-white beard. Upon putting all these pieces together, Lincoln started to believe that the stranger could be...him. "No way, Linc...that's crazy" he murmured to himself, "plenty of Pop-Pop's friends have facial hair like that and also have jolly bellies on them."

As Lincoln was about to continue on his way, the bell ringer suddenly spotted him and gave a light whistle. "So sorry to trouble you, young man" he said in a kind voice, "but would you be kind enough to make a donation for charity?" Lincoln was moments away from fulfilling the request.

But as he reached into his pocket, the young Loud Boy realized that the only money he had left...was his twenty. "Oh...gee, Sir; I'd like to help...really" Lincoln murmured hesitantly, "but I don't have that much money left on hand and I've barely got a start on my Christmas shopping." From here, he proceeded to reference his family situation; which didn't seem to surprise the man all that much.

"Ah, yes; I know quite a bit about you already" the man chuckled, "you and your sisters have developed quite a reputation within this mall alone." Upon hearing him say this, Lincoln suddenly grew self-conscious and did his best to convince the man that they "weren't as bad as the news made them out to be." "Don't worry, my boy; I'm simply ruffling your tinsel" the man chuckled, "but in all seriousness, you _do _seem to have a lot on your plate."

After giving the man a silent nod, Lincoln decided that there wasn't much he could buy for his family with only twenty bucks left and chose to slip it into the man's bucket; proclaiming that the needy needed it more than he did right now. "That is very kind of you, my boy" the man said with a soft smile, "and as my way of saying thank you, I would like to give you something."

At first, Lincoln thought the stranger planned on giving him a physical item as a token of gratitude. In which case, he respectfully chose to pass on it. "No, my boy; what I want to give you is an opportunity" the man stated, "something that could help you in your...financial situation."

Feeling both confused yet intrigued, Lincoln asked the man what he had in mind for him. "Well...word through the grapevine tells me that there's a problem over in the main lobby" the man explained, "seems they're short an elf over by the 'Meet Santa' spot in the main lobby...would you be so kind as to lend a hand?" After making certain he heard the man correctly; Lincoln didn't know whether to faint, groan in dismay or simply walk away.

But then, at that moment; his walkie-talkie suddenly turned on and he quickly answered. It was Liam's voice on the other end and he regretfully told Lincoln that he was unable to save one of the Blarney dolls for him the way he promised. _"I tried to, pardner...I really did"_ the young farm boy said apologetically, "but there were so many youngins that wanted one...they tried to claw at my face with their tiny fingernails!"

The moment he said this, the poor preteen lad found himself having a sort of PTSD-style flashback. After trying to shake the memory from his head; Liam, once again apologized to Lincoln for his failure. "No need to apologize, dude" Lincoln insisted kindly, "even if you _did _save it for me, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it anyway."

Upon making this confession, the other three members of Lincoln's "Guy Group" suddenly chimed in; asking Lincoln how he managed to spend his entire shopping budget so quickly. "It...It's a long story, guys" he muttered shamefully, "half of which you probably won't even believe me, if I told you." Thinking quickly, Lincoln saved face by revealing to his friends that he _did _manage to find some things for _three_ of his sisters.

But Clyde, while being as respectful as possible, reminded his bestie that he had eight others he still needed to shop for. _"How do you plan on doing that with so little cash left" _he asked, _"are you going your parents for more?"_ With a heavy sigh, Lincoln said that his parents wouldn't give him any more than one-hundred dollars to use and even _that_ was pushing it a little; considering the amount of people in his family.

"But...I think I found a way to help get some more shopping money" he murmured uneasily, "I can't quite explain it now...but it's nothing shady, I promise you." After a moment or two of soft debating, Lincoln's friends came to realize that their buddy had few other alternatives to turn to for his situation. _"Okay, buddy; we trust you"_ Clyde's voice stated, _"but if...whoever's offering you this job plans on having you do anything shady, I'm calling the police."_

With that, the boys said their goodbyes and added that they hoped to see him soon. After that, the line went dead; leaving Lincoln "alone" with the strange charity man. "I know what you're thinking...why didn't I tell my friends the truth" he said matter-of-factly, "well, the thing is I..."

Before Lincoln went on any further; the man held up his hand, causing him to go silent. "I understand, my boy" he said kindly, "if you told your friends what you were asked to do, you're afraid they might mock you." Upon hearing these words, Lincoln's cheeks flushed red in both embarrassment and mild shame.

"It's quite alright" the man assured, "the fact that you're willing to answer my call, in spite of your fears, shows just how much you wish to help give your loved ones a merry Christmas." After that; he patted Lincoln on his shoulder, collected his red bucket and offered to help show Lincoln off to the lobby.

"When we arrive, we need to get you fitted for your elf costume" the man stated, "as well as your faux elf ears." Upon hearing him mention what he was going to wear for his temporary role, Lincoln suddenly became even more anxious. But then, as if sensing this change in behavior; the man assured Lincoln that the position wouldn't be permanent.

"We'll get the full story, once we arrive at the lobby" he stated, "I'll also make sure to notify your parents about it." With this single phrase, Lincoln's anxieties grew to critical levels. As much as he feared what his friends might think of him for taking this job, he wondered what his parents...or even his sisters would say.

_"Just remember, dude...you're doing this for the people you love"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"I'll make sure to remind my sisters about that; just in case Lola decides to blackmail me with this or Luan thinks about making jokes at my expense."_

In time, the duo arrived at the mall lobby; where the "Meet Santa" pavilion was stationed. When Lincoln got a look at what the "elves" were wearing, his face went pale and his eyes shrank in fear. From the curly-toed green shoes to the hats with the jingle bell hanging on the tip, the attire looked like something out of a cheap Christmas play.

To make matters even more awkward, the person playing Ol' St. Nick...was Flip; Royal Woods' resident shyster. "Ho-Ho-Ho" he sounded off in a horribly off-key tone of voice, "Merry Christmas, every..." Before he could finish his sentence, Flip suddenly let out a rather gross burp; causing bubbles to pop out of his mouth.

Beside him, the other elves made silent complaints about his breath smelling like rancid eggnog. "I think I now understand why the original guy quit" Lincoln muttered to the "viewer," I just hope that _I'll _last longer than he did." Not long after he said this, he noticed the stranger talking with the pavilion manager.

After some debating between the two, the latter gentleman gestured for Lincoln to come closer; which he did. Then, the manager began to look over him intently from top to bottom and front to back. After what felt like ages of waiting, he clicked his tongue softly and murmured "okay, he'll do."

With that simple statement, he tossed the elf costume into Lincoln's arms and told him to go change immediately. "Be quick about it, the line will be building up again soon" the manager instructed, "and you best toe the line...or else you won't get paid." With his point made, the manager returned to his post and resumed trying to hype up the line of kids to go see "Santa."

Meanwhile, Lincoln suddenly started to have second thoughts about his whole plan. Not only would he be wearing a costume that would make him an easy target for mockery. But the fact that Flip, a man who was on pretty familiar terms with him and his family, made things all the more difficult.

Lincoln was but moments away from bailing...until he felt the kind hand of the stranger upon his shoulder, once again. "It's only for a few days, my boy" he said reassuringly, "and it will all be worth it in the end, I promise you." With that; he collected his change bucket, wished Lincoln good luck and went off to his next post.

This left Lincoln on his own at the pavilion with the elf outfit still in his hands. For what felt like ages, he mentally debated on if going along with the idea was a smart choice. But then, when he remembered how much his family hoped for a good Christmas, it all became clear to him...he had to do it.

Then, he was suddenly shaken out of his thoughts by the harsh tones of the pavilion manager; who told him to go get changed lickety-split. Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln made a quick beeline for the nearest restroom to get into his outfit. "I'm really hoping I won't be doing this for very long" he said worriedly to the "viewer," "if anyone...other than my parents learns that I'm doing like this, who knows what they'll do or think!"

(First AN: No one ever said Holiday shopping would be easy, am I right? Anywho, how do you think Lincoln will do in his new position? Who was the stranger that helped him, will he be able to earn back enough money to shop for his family and friends...or will something happen that will cause him to crack and abandon his plan altogether?

Tune in next time for Part Two of "The Gifting with the Gal Pals")

(Second AN: Just in case anyone is wondering...NO, this was not meant to be seen as a sort of "Lincoln Torture Porn" sort of story; where writers place Lincoln in awkward, dangerous or emotionally harrowing situations for "comedy sake." Nope, everything that happened to Linc here was meant to show how strong his devotion was to his loved ones; even if it meant putting his dignity on the line a little.

Plus, I needed to show certain randos *or random critics* within the guest reviews that nothing is simply "handed to Lincoln on a silver platter" *as they assume.* You may have seen some of their reviews within past installments for this anthology fic or the OG Gal Pals story. Regardless, I hope this will satiate them in some way.

If not...well, I tried and that's all that matters)

(Third AN: I apologize if any of the math I used in this part was incorrect. Math was never my strongest subject over the years, back in school)

(Fourth AN: Since Lincoln and Clyde both use codenames while talking to each other on their walkie-talkies, I thought it would be fun to include the rest of the Guy Squad on it; at least, for something like Christmas shopping. Lincoln is Dasher, Clyde is Cupid, Zach is Comet, Liam is Donner and Rusty is Blitzen; just in case anyone felt confused)

(Fifth AN: The "Dory" Liam mentioned when he's discussing his shopping plans is the name of his little sister. Though she has yet to appear in the original show, I thought it would be nice to mention her here)

(Final AN: For anyone who's curious...no, I won't tell you what Lincoln's "secret gift" for the Gal Pals is; not yet, at least. It's a special surprise, one that will hold great meaning in either the Part Two or Three of this oneshot. But once it's revealed, I hope you'll like the sound of it)


	19. The Gifting with the Gal Pals - Part Two

The Gifting with the Gal Pals – Part Two

(Story Summary: Lincoln spends the next several days at the mall, working as one of the elves at the "Meet Santa" pavilion. During this time; he's yelled at by the manager of the spot, insulted by "Santa," teased by some of the kids waiting in line and to make matters worse, _two _of Lincoln's rivals from school catch wind of what he's doing and decide to "pay him a visit."

Will all this finally cause Lincoln to crack under the pressure? Will he decide to quit, as a result...or will someone come to help him hold on to his hope for a good Christmas for his family?")

It was a cold, breezy Friday morning; the snow was falling lightly outside the Loud House. The moment the sun rose, Lincoln was the first to wake up for the day; which was often rare for him to do. Truthfully, he _wished _he could remain in bed and sleep for a couple more hours...but he couldn't.

Nope; Lincoln had to wake up bright and early, have a quick breakfast, get his teeth brushed and get dressed. Once all that was done; he packed up his bag, left his bedroom and proceeded down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, Lincoln saw his mother waiting for him with a cup of cocoa in her hands.

"Thought you could use a quick pick me up before you leave" Rita offered, "would you like a sip, honey?" Without a moment's pause, Lincoln took the cup from his mother's hands and proceeded to guzzle the drink down; not caring how much the warm liquid stung his lips and mouth. Rita was, quite understandably taken aback by this but chose to not say anything.

Truth be told, these mannerisms were all too familiar to her. This was the demeanor of someone who'd been running themselves ragged. Rita had seen her children look this way after long study periods, working on tons of homework or from simply doing chores around the house. But in _this _case, Lincoln looked like an adult going off for the morning shift...which was exactly what was happening.

"Oh, wait...I knew I forgot...(yawn) forgot something" the boy said tiredly, "I gotta go get my...uniform." Upon saying these words, Lincoln dreaded having to go back up to his room to collect his "uniform." The reason being wasn't the climb up the steps, mind you...it was the risk of being heard or spotted by one (if not all) of his sisters.

But just as he turned himself around, Lincoln felt his mother tapping on his shoulder lightly. "Hold on there, honey" Rita said suddenly, "I've already got your...uniform stored in Vanzilla, I even had it cleaned after the girls went to sleep." This news came as a bit of a surprise to Lincoln; specifically, the latter part.

If Rita cleaned his "uniform" for him while the girls were all asleep, that must mean she did it late in the night. In which case, Lincoln suddenly found himself feeling rather guilty and apologized to her. "You have nothing to feel sorry for" Rita insisted in a hushed tone, "consider it a thank you for putting yourself out like this for the family."

Soon after saying this; she held Lincoln tightly in her arms, kissed his forehead and helped lead him quietly out to the van.

(Flashback: The Royal Woods Mall – Monday)

_ Now...no doubt, some of you may wonder how Mrs. Loud came to know about Lincoln's little job; am I right? Well, back during Lincoln's shopping day; the kindly old bell-ringer that Lincoln met made a call out to her cellphone and informed Mrs. Loud of everything. At first, she felt disappointed in her son for using up his spending budget so quickly. _

_ But the bell-ringer immediately told Mrs. Loud that Lincoln used one bit of his cash to help someone in need; as well as donate what remained to his charity collection bucket. With all this evidence presented, Rita's temperament quickly softened and she was no longer upset with her son. Then, when she heard about what Lincoln considered doing to earn back some of the money he spent; Rita almost thought the bell-ringer was playing a Christmas joke on her. _

_ No sooner had she made this statement, she received an e-mail from Lincoln on her phone...which contained a photo of him in his elf costume. Upon seeing it, Rita was mere seconds away from squealing with joy at how "cute" he looked. But then, the bell-ringer politely insisted for her to keep her voice down and not let any of Lincoln's sisters know what he was doing._

_ Although she didn't quite like hiding things from her children, Rita knew full well how much the girls enjoyed teasing Lincoln over certain things. Thus, she agreed to keep quiet and promised Lincoln she'd help him on his endeavors as much as she could. So, over the past week; Rita helped drive Lincoln to the mall for his job and helped keep his uniform clean._

_ Ironically enough, Rita performed the latter task each day of that week. On his first day, Lincoln had only one or two stains on his person; which he revealed were left by two kids poking his costume with wet candy canes. Such an issue wasn't too big of a deal for Rita, after cleaning off similar candy stains from each of the kids Halloween costumes two months earlier._

_ But on Wednesday, when she came to pick him up from the mall; Rita was shocked to see all the bits of candy, stains from spilt drinks and...who knows what else stuck on Lincoln. When Rita got the chance to speak privately with him, she asked Lincoln how he ended up getting so filthy. In response; he listed every instance someone "accidentally" spilt their drink on him, a child threw up on his costume or when some teens thought it would be "funny" to pelt him with trash from a nearby trashcan. _

_ "What the...where's the security during all this" Rita asked in a dumbfounded tone, "why aren't _they_ doing anything to stop this behavior?" With a dejected sigh, Lincoln revealed how the security staff had their hands full in keeping all the crazy shoppers in line. Rita's heart ached for her son, saddened to see him go through so much in a single week._

_ "Well...at least the tips must be good" Rita murmured hopefully, "how much are you given for your time?" Without even a sliver of emotion in his voice; Lincoln revealed that after working almost eight hours at the pavilion...he's only given $24 for his service. "That's basically three dollars an hour I'm getting paid for" he growled, "scratch that...I lost half of that today, after the manager claims me and Santa 'scared somebody's kid.'"_

_ Now, having raised eleven kids most of her life, she was familiar with children feeling nervous around the mall Santa. At the same time, however; she questioned why a child would feel so afraid that their parents would demand their money back. "Let's just say..._this _Mall Santa isn't the jolly type" Lincoln sighed, "then again, the only time Flip feels 'jolly' is when he's either scamming people or they're paying him."_

_ Upon hearing that Flip of all people was the mall Santa, it all became quite clear why some kids would feel nervous. "I'm just glad nobody from school was there" Lincoln grumbled, "if they were, I'd be humiliated!" As she watched her son massage his forehead for several moments; Rita, like any mother in this situation would, told Lincoln that he shouldn't feel so concerned about what his classmates think._

_ "It's not the whole class I'm worried about, Mom" he retorted, "it's only certain people." With this simple statement, Rita started to have a better understanding of the situation. To start with, there were quite a few students at Lincoln's school who seemed to either have it out for him...or they simply enjoyed watching him act anxious._

_ But perhaps; he felt more concerned if any of his lady friends, the Gal Pals, might think about his position. With all this in mind, Rita started to understand things a bit more. "Okay...you may have some good points there" she stated, "but answer me this; after everything you've all been through together, do you truly believe your friends would think less of you?"_

_ For a few seconds, Lincoln didn't answer; he spent that time thinking long and hard on how his friends (male _and _female) often perceived him. Sure, they might've giggled at his mildly awkward moments...but the likes of Jordan and Cristina learned their lesson from past instances (like the internet video thing or the "Polar Bear Challenge" thing.) So, Lincoln felt that his mother had a point; his friends wouldn't judge him as harshly as he believed._

_ "But what about Lori and the others" he said suddenly, "if any of _them _find out, not only will they laugh...they'll also discover the reason why I've been doing this!" Rita gave him a soft yet knowing look and assured Lincoln that she'd keep his sisters in the dark as long as she possibly could. "That being said...sooner or later, someone else _may _learn the truth" Rita said matter-of-factly, "when that time comes, you may have to face them."_

_ With that; they buckled their seatbelts, Rita revved up the engine and went off back home. Along the way, Lincoln mentioned how much he dreaded going back to work the next day. No doubt; he would expect more garbage flung his way, more insults directed at him and hear more kids crying loudly in his ears._

_ "Unfortunately, honey...the only thing I can suggest about the first two issues is to inform the manager about it" Rita stated, "but as for the _third one_, just tell the kids what I used to tell _you all_ back when _you _went to see Santa...just imagine him as someone sweet that they know." Soon after saying this, she also reminded Lincoln of whom he and his sisters chose to picture as Santa; Pop-Pop._

_ Of all the people in his life, he was always the jolliest person the Louds ever knew. Upon looking back on the memory, Lincoln couldn't help but smile a little. "That's not a bad idea, Mom" he said kindly, "I hope that will work on the other kids, though."_

_ After that, the rest of the ride home went silently; as Lincoln sat and contemplated on how to go about things the next day. Time passed and on Thursday morning, he returned back to his post at the pavilion...albeit reluctantly. As he stood in line, helping usher little kids through as politely as possible; nearly all of Lincoln's earlier fears soon came to pass._

_ While no one pelted him with items from the trash like they did earlier that week; at least, three kids touched his outfit with their sticky hands. Minutes later, a High Schooler from Huntington Oaks not only told Lincoln to "get a real job" in a mocking tone; she also dumped her cappuccino atop of his head. Said beverage was still quite hot and it stung Lincoln's face like the dickens._

_ But...he had no choice but to quite literally, grin and bear it while also extending a holiday greeting through his clenched teeth. Sometime after that, Lincoln saw a family approach him with their children. One was a boy around five and a half and his sister appeared to be seven years old._

_ Upon closer inspection, he saw that both of them had a fearful look in their eyes; despite the sister trying to appear brave. It didn't take long for Lincoln to realize what the issue was...they were afraid, afraid to go speak to Santa. "I no wanna talk to him, Mommy" the little boy whimpered, "he looks grumpy...and dirty and I think he smells like bad eggs."_

_ No sooner had the boy said this, Flip (once again playing the role of the Mall Santa) let out an eggnog induced belch. The moment this happened, the nostrils of every elf were suddenly assaulted by the same "bad egg smell" the little boy mentioned; including Lincoln. While doing everything he could to not vomit, he looked over at the little boy's parents were having difficulty trying to get him and his sister to move forward._

_ Upon seeing this, Lincoln suddenly remembered his mother's earlier advice and decided to put it to the test. After taking a moment to clear his throat, he got down on one knee and asked the kids to approach him. "Hey, guys...I know how you feel" Lincoln said sympathetically, "when _I_ first saw Santa, I was scared to...but my family taught me something that helped me get over that fear."_

_ Without hesitation; he told the kids that when their turn to approach Santa came, they should try to imagine that they were talking to someone who actually made them happy. "It could be anyone you like" Lincoln stated, "you could imagine the face of one of your parents, a grandparent...or even Blarney the Dinosaur is talking to you in a Santa costume." Though still a little nervous, at first; the kids decided to give Lincoln's advice a shot._

_ When the time came for _them _to sit on Santa's lap, the brother and sister both closed their eyes in fear. But the moment they opened them up again, they no longer saw the grubby face of Flip looking at them. Instead, the little girl saw the face of her grandfather; while the boy saw the face of a superhero._

_ Soon, neither of them was afraid and happily took their places upon Santa's lap. As the parents started taking pictures of them together, Lincoln couldn't help but gawk at the scene in amazement. _"Holy moley...that actually worked"_ Lincoln thought in surprise, _"thanks a bunch for the advice, Mom."

_ Then, at that moment; he was suddenly shocked back into reality when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. Much to both his relief and...slight surprise, it was the parents of the two little ones; who then proceeded to extend their thanks to him. "Thank you so much for helping our babies out, young man" the mother said while shaking his hand, "you have quite a way with children."_

_ The father also expressed his gratitude for what Lincoln did, emphasizing how hard a time they had in getting them to be calm the previous year. "It was n-n-no trouble, ma'am" Lincoln said shyly, "my mother gave me the same advice, back when I was your son's age." Soon after he said this, the two little ones had finished their time with Santa and proceeded back towards their parents._

_ But just before they left the line, the little boy suddenly wrapped his arms around Lincoln's waist and hugged him warmly. "Tank you Mr. Elf" he said in an adorable voice, "hope you have a Merry Crismas at the workshop!" With that said, he and the family proceeded off to another area of the mall._

_ For a moment or so; Lincoln stood perfectly still, lost in awe of the kind gesture the boy showed him. After several stressful days, that bit of kindness helped managed to perk him up...just a little bit. But in spite of that small success, there was still the rest of the people in line to attend to._

_ With that in mind, he sorely hoped that today wouldn't be a long one._

(Line Break)

This brings us back to our present situation, where Lincoln was rushing off like mad towards the nearest bus stop. Originally, he hoped to start of the last day of the work week off smoothly...but there were quite a few issues during that morning alone. To start with, Vanzilla had broken down (for the umpteenth time) when Rita offered to help drive him to work again. This meant that Lincoln had to, once more take the bus to the mall.

But just like what happened on his shopping trip earlier that week, the bus arrived late. But this time, instead of being caught behind a plow; his bus had to take an entirely _different_ path due to the usual one being too icy. "Boy, I could really use Lisa's salt machine about now" Lincoln murmured in annoyance, "she could get through that in no time."

Sadly, this was not to be; after being found guilty in court, Lisa was forbidden to interfere in city affairs (street maintenance being one of them.) As a result; her winter cleanup inventions (like most of her scientific creations) were all confiscated and either sold off to more capable individuals or sold for scrap. _"Well, at least the other roads are clear"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"hopefully, it won't take me too long to get to the mall."_

(An Hour and a Half Later)

Eventually; the bus arrived at the mall parking lot and the instant the doors opened, Lincoln rushed out like a bat out of the Underworld (or from out of Lucy's coffin.) As he ran up towards the entrance, desperate to get inside in time; Lincoln failed to see that the pavement had iced up due to the snow. As a result, he slipped and fell over at least four times before getting to the entrance.

When he arrived at the Meet Santa pavilion, Lincoln saw a sight that almost made his eyes pop from his head. From the entry point of the line point to almost all the way back to where the fountain stood, all kinds of families stood in waiting...and they did _not_ look very happy. "C'mon, somebody let one of us through already" shouted a mother within the line, "who cares if the usher isn't here yet?!"

The moment this statement was made, Lincoln suddenly realized the issue; they were all waiting because _he_ wasn't there to help lead the kids through in an orderly manner. _"The manager's gonna have my head, once he finds out I'm not there"_ Lincoln thought_, "just...try to get to your post without anybody noticing."_ After taking in a breath for luck; he cautiously tiptoed his way behind trashcan, underneath a nearby table, hid himself behind a display rack of combs and made his way towards the pavilion.

But just as he was inches away from getting to his post, a voice suddenly stopped Lincoln in his tracks...a rather familiar one. _"How nice of you to finally come, little elf"_ the voice said snidely from behind, _"what happened, had trouble getting your jingle bells on?" _Not long after this comment was made, the young speaker broke out into a fit of laughs.

While making sure not to completely reveal his face, Lincoln angrily glanced over his left shoulder; feeling "eager" to know who was hassling him. When he caught sight of the boy's face, Lincoln's heart almost stopped. Standing behind him was Biff Packard and his friends; who were currently rolling about the floor in laughter.

_"Oh, great; just what I needed" _Lincoln thought dejectedly, _"of all people...why did it have to be _them _that saw me?"_ In his mind, the young Loud boy felt that Fate must enjoy seeing him suffer at the snobbish boy's hands. At the same time, though; Lincoln felt thankful that no one else he knew was there.

Just then, another voice called out; telling him "it's about time you showed up" in a familiar condescending tone. Upon hearing this voice; Lincoln, once again, risked a glance over his right shoulder. There, he saw that the speaker was none other than Chandler; one of the most popular kids in his grade.

Alongside him were a few members of his posse; including Lance, Trent, Ritchie and several others. In that moment, all the color instantly drained from Lincoln's face. Of all people, he was particularly worried about what _Chandler_ and his friends might think of him in his current outfit.

_"On the plus side, Kat isn't with him"_ Lincoln thought, _"as long as_ she _doesn't find out what I'm doing...I'm willing to endure this humiliation."_ After brushing that thought aside, he proceeded to make his way towards the pavilion entrance; ready to get the job done as quickly as possible. But then, Lincoln suddenly found himself tripping over his jingle bell shoes; thus resulting in him falling flat on his face.

This caused the two groups behind him to laugh even louder at his expense, while the crowd in line started glaring daggers at him. As the patrons began shouting out their complaints at him, Lincoln bitterly pushed himself up from the floor; all while trying to keep his face hidden from Biff and Chandler's respective posses.

_"Just block them out, Loud...don't let their behavior bother you"_ he thought to himself tensely, "_keep walking and get this day over with." _As Lincoln continued to trudge his way over to his post, Vicky was the first to notice that none of their insults were getting under his skin. Then, when she saw how angry the crowd was _and _spotted the manager approaching; she thought of a much more wicked idea.

After doing a few breathing warm ups, Vicky glared slightly in the elf's direction and cried "well...it's about time you showed up, Mr. Elf!" This sudden exclamation immediately caught the attention of "Santa," the line of angry patrons _and _the approaching pavilion manager. "Yeah, lil' man" Flip grumbled, "what took ya so long, I've been sittin' here all mornin' and my rear end's startin' to itch somethin' fierce!"

While choosing to ignore the man's rather...course remark, the line of mall patrons felt just as annoyed by the elf's tardiness. Some complained that their legs had been hurting from standing for so long, while others fussed about having their "important shopping trips" be disrupted. As for the children, the elf desperately tried to get them to calm down; to tell them he could let them in to see Santa now.

But unfortunately; this was met with a collection of shin kicks, face slaps and even a few punches to the stomach. Eventually, the pavilion manager arrived at the scene and did his best to calm everyone down. But the first thing he did, after getting everyone to back away slightly was get up into the elf's face and growl angrily.

"This was the third time this week you've been late, kid" the manager sneered, "I warned you about the consequences if it happened again." The elf tried desperately to plead his case, to tell the manager it was the bus' fault he was late...but the manager wouldn't hear of it. "There's no excuse for your slipshod work, Loud" he grumbled, "you're...FIIIIRRRRED!"

The moment the elf's name was spoken, all time seemed to slow down for both Biff _and _Chandler's groups. Meanwhile, Lincoln stood frozen in place with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide in shock. For almost a whole week; he'd been assaulted, screamed at, had people invade his personal space with sticky fingers and who knows what else...all for the sake of his family.

But after this, Lincoln realized that no amount of money was worth subjecting himself to such lows anymore. "No, Sir...you can't fire me" he said in a dry, monotone voice (near similar to Lucy's;) "BECAUSE I QUIT!" With that proclamation; he ripped off his elf costume, tore off his elf ears, threw down his hat onto the ground and proceeded to stomp it into the dust.

Afterwards, Lincoln took the remnants of his costume in his arms and threw them hard into the pavilion manager's face; causing him to stumble back and fall atop some of the Christmas décor around the pavilion. Thankfully, Lincoln had his real clothes underneath his costume; otherwise...things would've been even more embarrassing for him. With his identity now fully revealed, both Biff and Chandler's groups stood frozen in astonishment at Lincoln.

Then, after almost twenty seconds of silence; Biff, Vicky and the punk kid suddenly blew up into a vicious fit of mocking laughter. Meanwhile, Chandler and _his _group stood in silence; as if mentally pondering on whether they should also mock Lincoln or if they should pity him. "Wait...hold on, wait" murmured Ritchie, "all this time...we were razzing on _Loud..._what's he even doing here?"

Unfortunately, Chandler could only think of three small yet mildly plausible explanations on the situation. Either Lincoln was here "performing a service" for "Good Boy Points" towards Santa (not Flip,) that he was doing said service for the sake of his loved ones...or he was probably dared into doing it by somebody. Whatever the case, he and his crew suddenly felt guilty for all the hazing they sent Lincoln's way while on duty.

Meanwhile; Flip, feeling emboldened by the boy's courage, also decided to call it quits on playing Santa. "I'm tired of listenin' to these brats whinin' and cryin' in my ears all day" he grumbled while throwing the Santa suit in the trash bin, "I'm goin' back to _my _store and I'm gonna earn some cash the proper way...with my limited time Holiday Flippees!" Soon after he said this, Flip faced the crowd and revealed a picture of what looked like a typical Flipee drink.

But after giving it a closer look, the patrons saw that was merely a Strawberry Flippee mixed with candy cane crumbs. "That's right, people; made 'em myself" Flip said with pride, "broke all the candy canes to make 'em with my own two hands." This proclamation left the crowd at a bit of a crossroads, surprisingly enough.

On the one hand, they didn't quite know if Flip ever _washed_ his hands before making the beverages. But on the other hand; considering how sour the kids, teens _and _adults felt at the moment...they were willing to do _anything_ to lift their spirits up again. Thus, everyone in line quickly dispersed; making a note to buy the "Holiday Flippees" after their shopping trips were finished.

As the crowd walked off to other areas of the mall, the manager desperately tried to get them to stay in the area...but no one listened. "It's bad enough that you made us wait in line for ages, _SIR_" a woman sneered, "but the fact that you've employed a child to do the greeter job shows just how shady of a businessman you are!" Several other parents voiced similar complaints, while also expressing their apologies to Lincoln for any unintentional harm their children might've given him.

After giving the crowd a small but kind grin, he proclaimed that it was "all water under the bridge." "We're sorry, Mr. Elf" a group of toddlers murmured sadly, "please, don't tell Santa on us." Upon hearing the sorrowful tone in the kids' voices, Lincoln's smile grew a little bigger and he exchanged quick high fives with each of them.

"Don't worry about it, kids" he assured, "I'm actually used to getting hit around a bit." With that said, the parents and their children said their goodbyes and went off to other parts of the mall; leaving only Lincoln and the pavilion manager remaining at the scene. The two looked upon one another with utter contempt for what felt like ages. Then, the manager reached to his side and brought a walkie-talkie up to his lips.

"Hello, security team" he grumbled, "I have a bit of a rabble-rouser down here at the Santa pavilion, could you...help him outside, please?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln's earlier anger slowly gave way to fear; wondering what the man had in mind for him.

(Line Break)

One moment, Lincoln was holding his ground and defending his honor. The next; he found himself being roughly grabbed by a pair of security guards, was dragged towards the exit and tossed out the door. Before leaving him there, the pavilion manager vowed to have Lincoln be banned from the mall for his actions...once he was able to get in touch with the higher ups (who were all at home prepping for Christmas.)

"And I'm taking all the money you 'earned' back as well, you little brat" the man grumbled, "consider it compensation for humiliating me, costing me loads of customers, losing my Santa _and _wrecking my pavilion!" With that said, he walked over and proceeded to root his hand around inside of Lincoln's pockets. In time, he collected the right amount of bills from the boy's right pocket and went back inside.

"I hope you and whatever family of savages that raised you has the worst Christmas of your lives, kid" the manager grumbled, "it's more than what you deserve!" With that, he stomped his way back inside of the mall; leaving Lincoln on the sidewalk, shivering both from the cold and his still boiling rage. "Well...who needs your lousy bonus, fatso" he roared bitterly, "you can take your three bucks an hour and STUFF IT IN YOUR STOCKING!"

For what felt like ages, Lincoln remained fixed on the spot; panting and fuming furiously from everything he endured. But then, the reality of the situation suddenly struck him like a dodgeball to the face. Now that he was fired, he didn't have enough money to do anymore Christmas Shopping. Now, here he was; out on the mall sidewalk without any money in his pocket, without his job and on the week before Christmas!

"I haven't even got the chance to shop for anyone else yet, I've been so busy" Lincoln fretted, "oh, jeez...the girls are all going to kill me, if Mom and Dad don't have me grounded first after learning what I did." Soon, he realized he was moments away from another panic attack and needed to calm himself down right away. After spotting a nearby empty bench; Lincoln sat himself down, closed his eyes and proceeded to do the calming exercises Dr. Lopez taught him.

While doing this, he decided to softly hum a Christmas Carol to himself; hoping that it would help in lifting his spirits. Unfortunately, the first song that popped into his head wasn't a carol; instead, it was the tune to "I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas." After a while, he stopped humming the song and started to openly sing a particular verse from it; one that _he _felt "best represented him.'

"_I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas_

_Mommy and Daddy are mad_

_I'm gettin' nuttin for Christmas_

'_Cause I...ain't been nuttin'...but bad!"_

Now, in one afternoon alone; poor Lincoln's spirits were pretty low already due to everything that happened. But after humming the last line of the song verse, he suddenly broke down and burst into tears. "Mom...Dad...Everybody...I'm sorry" he murmured between sobs, "I tried...I really, really tried to help give you a good Christmas...but like most of my plans, I failed." After that, Lincoln sprawled himself atop the bench and was moments away from calling his mother to pick him up.

But then, just as his finger lingered over the auto-dial button; a soft voice suddenly stopped Lincoln in his tracks. _"Now, now; there's nothing wrong with failure, my boy"_ the voice said kindly, _"we all make mistakes...what's important is that they help us become stronger and help us improve ourselves for the better."_ At first, Lincoln was mere moments away from dismissing the phrase as "cheesy PSA nonsense."

But after hearing the speaker talk, he suddenly shot up from his laid back position and spotted a familiar sight. Standing near his bench was the kindly old bell-ringer Lincoln met when this whole "adventure" started. This time, however; he appeared to be dressed in a full-bodied Santa outfit.

At the man's right, Lincoln could see his trusty charity donation bucket; which appeared near full to bursting with bills. "It's nice to see you, Sir" Lincoln said in a weak yet respectful tone, "but...how long have you been standing there, exactly?" The man let out a hearty chuckle and told him that he'd only just came out of the mall.

"My fellow ringers and I switch places around the mall, from time to time" he explained, "sometimes, I'm inside...and other times, I'm out here." Upon hearing the man mention about him doing his job in many spots of the mall, Lincoln's face suddenly shined red with shame. "I'm guessing, then...you probably saw what happened" he murmured, "I...I just don't know what came over me."

The man shook his head slightly and assured Lincoln that his behavior was rather understandable; saying that he'd seen it happen many times before. "Christmas isn't an easy time for a lot of people" he stated, "even _I _have a hard time every now and again." After wiping away the tears from his eyes, Lincoln suddenly let out a sarcastic chuckle; pointing out how full the man's bucket looked.

"Sure, it's full _today_" the bell-ringer said matter-of-factly, "but it's only because we have loads of last minute shoppers here." Lincoln sighed in response to this, saying that _he_ would be among those shoppers...if he only had the money. "But...I just couldn't handle it anymore" he groaned, "compared to what I endured in there, my family scolding me for my failure would feel like nothing."

Once again, the bell-ringer told Lincoln that there was no reason to fear making a mistake. "The only time someone has truly 'failed' is when they decide to stop trying altogether" he stated, "are you going to do that?" Despite the ring of truth in the man's words, Lincoln still felt he was beyond hope now.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong" the man offered, "it might help lift your spirits a little." Though the idea seemed tempting, Lincoln remembered what happened the last time he shared his struggles with others (namely the Gal Pals) and softly shuddered. There was also the fact that this man was...more or less of a stranger to Lincoln and his mother often stressed to the Loud Children to not speak with strangers.

"This is true, there's no denying that" the man stated, "but seeing as how we've worked in the same location all week, I see us as...kind of, sort of coworkers than strangers." This statement caused Lincoln to chuckle a little, in spite of the tears that were still flowing. This sight brought a smile to the bell-ringer's face and he immediately took a seat beside the distressed young man.

"I applaud you for going above and beyond for the people you love this Christmas, Lincoln" the bell-ringer stated, "but even the most selfless of souls have their limitations and need to learn when to throw in the towel." While Lincoln admitted there was some truth to the man's words, he insisted that he had to do something for them; after everything that's happened.

"Seriously; this year, my sisters all fear that their Christmas will be ruined" Lincoln said bluntly, "since you seem pretty aware about current events, I'll bet you can guess why this is the case." The man smiled beneath his thick beard and gave a soft laugh, upon hearing this inquiry. "Oh...I've heard enough" he stated, "I know of the failed golf game Lori had, about the former Sister Fight Protocol...I know about you leaving home to find peace, how you came to meet Miss Carol Pingrey and two of her friends, all the stories you shared, the tears you shed...quite a bit of it."

After hearing this strange bell-ringer recite the family incident almost word for word, Lincoln didn't know whether to be amazed...or freaked out. Then, he suddenly realized that the news had been talking about the incident non-stop; before the day of the trial came. Thus, Lincoln speculated that _this_ was the reason the stranger appeared so knowledgeable about him and his loved ones.

"Well...with all that in mind, you must understand why I've put myself through all this till now" Lincoln said in exasperation, "I don't want my family to be put on the Naughty List over a fight that happened ages ago." Upon saying this, he revealed the _second _reason why he put himself through the wringer for several days straight. "Ah, you're referring to your lady friends; correct" the bell-ringer said suddenly, "the 'Gal Pals' I believe they call each other?"

For the second time that afternoon, Lincoln was left dumbfounded by the man's strangely extensive knowledge about him. It was then he proceeded to ask if he was part of some hidden camera series; perhaps, one of Luan's notorious prank feeds. "Oh, no; I would never mislead you, my boy" the bell-ringer assured, "and as for how I know about you...it's a story as equally long as your own."

Though he still felt a little concerned about the strange yet kind man, Lincoln didn't forget the good he did for him and decided to disregard such feelings...for now. "My point is, my family's become better now and all they want is a good Christmas" Lincoln stated, "as for the Gals...I wanted to try and give them something to say 'thanks' for all that they've done for me this past year." In terms of the latter, he revealed that he did _make _something for the latter group...but it felt much too small in value, to him.

"Lincoln, during this time or _any _festive time of year; it's not the _size_ of the gift or how manyone receives that matters" the bell-ringer said in a matter-of-fact tone, "what's important is the _love _and _thought_ you put into your gift." As a final point to his statement, the bell-ringer said that even the smallest of things could have the greatest of value; if it's given out of love. "Hee...if she were here; my sister, Lisa would say that such an idea would seem sentimental yet rather unrealistic in her eyes" Lincoln stated, "but as for me...I hope you're right."

The bell-ringer smiled down at him, patted the boy lightly on the shoulder and proclaimed that he _knew_ he was right. "Tell you what...in recognition for what you've done tonight, I'd like to give you a gift of sorts" the bell-ringer said kindly, "would you like for me to help give you a ride home?" Though the offer was most generous; in the end, Lincoln passed on it for two reasons.

The first one was that if his parents saw a strange man him a ride back home, they'd be beyond worried. But perhaps, the biggest reason was his sisters; whom Lincoln still didn't want to learn what he was doing. "I understand...just let me call your mother for you like last time" the bell-ringer politely insisted, "it's the least I can do after all you've done and been through."

With a bright smile on his face, Lincoln thanked the man; not just for calling his mother for him...but also for just listening to him vent a little. "You're quite welcome, my boy" the bell-ringer chuckled, "no one deserves to be downtrodden during Christmastime." With that said, Lincoln handed over his phone to him and the bell-ringer quickly rung up Mrs. Loud's cell number for the second time that week.

While waiting for the call to be answered, Lincoln took a seat back on the bench and sighed softly. While not...completely relieved of his distress, he felt thankful that the bell-ringer chose to hear his plight. Now, Lincoln no longer felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

_"I just hope my sisters and everybody will forgive me for coming up short, this Christmas" _he thought sullenly, _"I'm sure they will...eventually."_

(Line Break)

It was 4:50 in the afternoon when Mrs. Loud arrived and Lincoln couldn't be any happier. "I'm so sorry for being late, sweetheart" Rita said remorsefully, "had a bit of a baking incident at home and then, I got caught behind a salt truck and _then,_ Vanzilla almost broke down on me!" Just as she was about to slip into a tirade, Rita suddenly saw the bell-ringer approach her and kindly pat her hand in reassurance.

"It's quite alright, these things happen" he stated, "I've been keeping your son company until you got here." At first, Rita felt suspicious of this fellow; thinking he was some sort of creeper. But after hearing his voice, she recognized him as the kindly bell-ringer who helped Lincoln out earlier this week.

"I regret to say that your son won't be working at the pavilion anymore" he said sullenly, "but...it's honestly for the best, the fellow who managed it thought more about the profit than he did about the employees." Feeling surprised by this news, Rita asked what exactly happened with her son at the pavilion. "It's a long story, Mom and I'll tell you on the way home" Lincoln mumbled, "but right now...I just want to leave this place."

With that said, he opened the passenger side door and took his seat beside Rita. Afterwards, she helped buckle Lincoln's seatbelt and thanked the bell-ringer for calling her up. "Between this and helping my son out, you're a real life-saver...despite things turning out so sour for him" Rita said gratefully, "in any case, thank you...you know, I don't think any of us got your name yet?"

The bell-ringer chuckled softly at Mrs. Loud and shook her hand, while also addressing himself as "Nicky." "Everyone calls me that, sometimes" he stated, "friends, family, coworkers...even my wife." Rita was surprised that "Nicky" was revealed to be married and asked why his wife wasn't working at the mall with him.

"Much like you, my special lady is also keeping busy this time of year" he stated, "before the big day arrives, we make sure to do whatever we can; inside _and_ outside of home." Rita smiled warmly at the man, mentally praising his and his wife's dedication towards the holiday season. "Well...Nicky, thank you so much for everything" she said gratefully, "I hope you and yours will have a Merry Christmas."

With that, she revved up the van and was about ready to leave...but not until Nicky offered one last word to Lincoln. "Have a safe trip home, my boy" he stated, "and remember what I said; however big or small or however many gifts you give your family...remember that they must all come from the _heart, _in the end_._" Lincoln gave Nicky a soft grin, a thumbs up and shared one final thank you for everything; just as Vanzilla started to pull out.

As he stood there, watching the vehicle disappear in the distance; Nicky felt that he had given Lincoln just what he needed to ensure his family's Christmas would turn out well. He only hoped that when the big day came, that his hunch turned out right.

(First AN: And thus, Lincoln torturous work week has come to an unceremonious yet. What will happen now; will this Christmas turn out to be a bust for Lincoln and his loved ones or will it somehow turn out well with the small gifts he _did_ manage to get for some of his family? Tune in next time for these answers in more in Part Three of The Gifting with the Gal Pals)

(Second AN: At first, I was tempted to make Chandler and his group be the only ones to mock Lincoln for his shortcomings in this part. But seeing as how the show depicts them being "sort of friends" to Lincoln and Clyde, I decided to have them regret their behavior; once the group saw that it was _Lincoln _whom they were mocking.

The other reason I included the aforementioned group was in response to one of my reviewers' critiques/requests, which insisted that I give Lincoln at least a few more "guy friends" to hang with instead of having females surround him. I hope this was satisfactory to you; if not, well...I tried.

Just like I did with what happened in the first part.)

(Third AN: Although the pretzel vendor didn't appear again in this, his encounter with Lincoln will have _some_ mention in the next part. But you will have to wait and see what this will entail, when Part Three comes around)

(Fourth AN: The song Lincoln hums to himself in sadness is I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas, a comedic Christmas song that's been covered many times over. I felt it fitting for Lincoln to sing the refrain aloud, due to the emotional situation was in. For those unfamiliar with the song, I recommend looking up any version available on YouTube)

(Fifth AN: Once again; I want to stress that everything that happened to Lincoln here, much like in Part One, is _not_ any form of "Lincoln Torture Porn." They were all simply a set of tragic circumstances that usually befall workers during the holiday season. Some may not have garbage thrown at them, maybe...but others have certainly had dealt with kids touching them with sticky fingers or yelling at them for one reason or another.

This is also meant to represent that not everything is "handed to Lincoln" as some people claim, just like I mentioned in the Author's Notes for Part One. Just thought I'd point that out, sorry if I'm overreacting a bit)

(Final AN: The salt machine Lincoln mentions is a reference to the episode Snow Bored, for those unaware. The reason she no longer has it now is explained within this part. But for deeper clarification, I recommend reading the OG Gal Pals fanfic)


	20. The Gifting with the Gal Pals - Part 3

The Gifting with the Gal Pals – Part Three

(Story Summary: The big moment has come, at last for both Lincoln _and _his loved ones; Christmas Morning. But somehow, Lincoln doesn't feel that excited; after everything that's happened. What will everyone find under the tree, will everyone like whatever gifts Lincoln bought for them and how will the Gal Pals react to _their_ gifts, when _they _come to the Loud House to visit?

The answers to all these questions and more will be answered in this, the final part of the Winter Arc Premiere. Be ready for laughs, some tears and plenty of warm holiday feels; as the Loud Family Christmas goes underway)

Days came and went after the incident at the Santa Pavilion at the mall and all seemed deathly quiet at the Loud House. Because Lincoln lost his post as the greeter elf, he no longer had any reason to wake up at the crack of dawn and walk on his tippy toes, so as not to disturb his ten sisters. Granted, after everything that happened during the aforementioned incident; Lincoln felt far too distressed to do much of anything (except get dressed, eat and sleep.)

He seldom left his room (except whenever "nature called,") he didn't read his comics, he didn't play any of his video games...he barely even made a sound whenever Luan made a corny "Christmas themed" joke. Naturally, Rita and Lynn Sr. were quite concerned about this behavior. Meanwhile, the Loud Sisters became rather suspicious and became determined to learn why their turned into a downer so suddenly.

"Maybe one of us should go talk to him, dudes" Luna suggested, "a good chat might help lift his spirits." While the idea _was_ good, some took it as a signal to try and "make him talk" (as they say in the old detective flicks.) "None of you are going to lay even a finger on your brother; is that understood, girls" Rita said firmly, "Lincoln's been through enough...he doesn't need any of you doing Dutch Oven's, Wet Willies or...whatever you'd do to get him to tell you a secret."

After taking their mother's words to heart, all ten Loud Sisters assured her that those days were "all behind them now." "I didn't plan on giving him any of that, Mom" Lynn Jr. stated, "I was just thinking of...tickling it out of him." The others sounded off in agreement, including Lily; who wiggled her tiny fingers with a laugh.

"While Tickle Torture seems...more humane than some of your other ideas, girls; it won't do you any good" Lynn Sr. stated, "Lincoln's been through a lot, this week...and needs to really get some rest." Whether by their own collective curiosities or out of impatience, the Loud Sisters (more specifically Lori, Lola, Lynn and Lisa) demanded to know what's happened to their brother. "Seriously, dudes; I haven't seen Lincoln _this _bummed from a shopping trip since that whole Zombie Bran thing" Luna stated, "but somehow...this feels so much worse."

More than anything, Rita and/or Lynn wanted to tell their daughters everything; from beginning to end. But they held their tongues on the matter, despite the puppy dog look Lily was giving them. Then, at that moment; Lori, Leni _and _Luna's phones suddenly chimed.

This caused the rest of the girls to groan softly, thinking it was a possible mushy holiday text from their significant others. But Luna quickly reminded everyone that while she and Sam were on more...peaceful terms lately, after the trial; they were currently taking a break from doing anything "romantic" together. "That does not matter, at the moment" Lisa interjected softly, "what sort of messages have your colleagues sent you three?"

After volunteering to go first, Lori looked down at her phone and scrolled through the message. When she got to the end, Lori saw something that made her drop the phone from her hand. "Hey, careful with the phone there" Lola exclaimed while quickly catching it, "if it hit the ground; it'd too late to ask either Santa, Mom _or_ Dad for a new..."

Just before she could finish her statement, the former pageant princess glanced down slightly at the phone screen. Then, when she saw what Lori did; Lola's jaw fell and _she _soon dropped the phone as well. Thankfully, Walt flew in and caught it in his talons; just before the phone reached the floor.

Afterwards, he gently carried it over to Lori and dropped it in her hands. "What's the 411, Sis" Luna asked, "what did ya see that freaked you out?" Without hesitation, Lori suggested that she and Leni take a look at _their _phones; believing they were given the same e-mail. Though confused at first, both girls followed suite on the request and glanced at their phones.

When the former saw what Chaz sent her, Leni almost fainted atop the couch. Meanwhile, Luna was spamming back text messages asking the simple phrase "are you messing with me" to Sam in disbelief. "I know this seems weird, girls and I know you must have a lot of questions" Rita stated, "but we should wait until your brother is in better spirits to answer them."

Upon saying this; all eyes, human _and _animal, glanced up the stairway and silently hoped that Lincoln would be okay.

(Line Break)

The sun had yet fully risen up on the horizon, one morning and Lincoln was still fast asleep in his closet bedroom. His face had a sorrowful look upon it, his cheeks bore the dry streaks left behind by the tears he shed and his covers were about ready to fall off due to tossing about so often at night. All these things were signs led to one thing, that Lincoln had a terrible night's sleep.

"Crud...maybe I should just lay here all day" he murmured into his pillow dejectedly, "might as well, I don't really have a reason to get out anyway." With that thought in mind, he was moments away from going back to sleep; when suddenly, he felt his nose being squeezed tight. This caused him to snort loudly in shock and shoot up out of his bed. When he managed to calm down enough, Lincoln looked down and saw Lily sitting with him on the bed.

She giggled softly with delight, waved her hand slightly and greeted him with a sweet "Merry Christmas, Lincoln" in her baby language. "Oh...It's just you, Lily" Lincoln sighed with relief, "thanks for waking me up...but I'm not in much of a Christmas mood today." In response to this, Lily shook her head and gestured for him to go right out the door.

No sooner had she done this, Lana and Lola came rushing in; all while bouncing eagerly like two elves on a sugar rush. "C'mon, Lincoln; get your butt downstairs" Lola urged eagerly, "it's Christmas Morning and Mom said there's a big surprise waiting for us!" Not long after this, Lana also excitedly beckoned for Lincoln to get moving...but he wouldn't listen.

"I'm not really in the mood right now, girls" he mumbled sadly, "come back a little later...like right after New Year's." With that, Lincoln buried his head beneath his pillow like an ostrich, which mildly irritated Lola. Though she swore not to do so, after all her summer sessions in Anger Management and Sensitivity Training, Lola had no other choice...she had to "tattle" on Lincoln (so to speak.

"MOOOOM! LINCOLN WON'T GET OUTTA BED" she shrieked loudly, "NOT EVEN AFTER LANA AND I ASKED HIM NICELY!" Not long after saying this, Lincoln could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs; which made him feel slightly worried. In that moment, he thought he was going to receive a scolding; which was something _nobody _wants on Christmas Morning.

But instead, Lincoln suddenly felt himself being pulled out from under his pillow. Then, he found himself being warmly hugged by his mom, who smiled down at him in the sweetest way possible. "Aw, honey; I know you're upset and it's perfectly understandable" she whispered soothingly while caressing his back, "but it's Christmas and I don't like it when my babies are sad on Christmas."

While he didn't wish to disagree with her, Lincoln sadly questioned what the point was in him getting up. "The moment I get downstairs, I'm going to have to come clean" he whispered, "and I can't bear to have them hate me...not again." Upon hearing this talk from him, Rita ceased rubbing Lincoln's back and gave him a firm look straight in the eye; as if she were looking into his very soul.

"Now you listen here, Lincoln Albert Loud...I'm going to tell you the same thing I did back at the trial" she murmured sternly, "yes, you've made some mistakes...but so have the rest of us and _still _love each other, regardless!" While this was true, Lincoln expressed his fear in coming downstairs without much gifts for the family. "Just...please, come downstairs with me" Rita pleaded, "there's something there that I think you'll find surprising."

For a moment or two, Lincoln hesitated; still fearing about what might happen when he faced his sisters. But in the end, he realized that doing all this was against the Christmas spirit and decided to answer his mom's request. With that settled, the two left the bedroom and walked downstairs towards the living room; hand-in-hand.

Upon his arrival, all ten of Lincoln's sisters cheered loudly with joy. "I am pleased you decided to come and join us, Big Brother" Lisa said while approaching him, "accept this gesture as my first token of Christmas goodwill unto you." Upon saying this, she handed Lincoln what looked like a candy cane gift; complete with a Christmas bow gently tied around the handle.

But upon looking it over intently, Lincoln saw that the candy showed off a multitude of different colors. "Hey, it's like a rainbow candy cane" he said with a light chuckle, "but...aren't these things usually pretty common in the store?" Lisa nodded in reply to Lincoln's deduction and explained that the one _she _gave was a homemade candy cane.

"With Father's culinary expertise and _my_ scientific knowledge, we have made enough rainbow canes for everyone in our family" she decreed proudly, "and this includes any _extended _family we might have." With this simple statement, Lincoln knew whom she was referring to; which signaled for Rita to start revealing her surprises.

Firstly, she brought Lincoln over to the tree; which had scores of gifts piled underneath it. This sight almost made Lincoln's eyes pop, he was so surprised. _"What the...wow, Santa really did come"_ he thought to himself, _"guess Royal Woods aren't the only forgiving ones out there."_

Before he could think any further on the matter, Lincoln suddenly found himself being scooped up off the floor and squeezed like a teddy bear. After summoning enough strength to do so, he glanced to the side and saw that it was Leni who was hugging him. "Good morning, Linky" she greeted sweetly, "and Merry Christmas!"

After she let him go, Lincoln found himself being hugged by the rest of his sisters; including Lucy (who seldom ever hugged anyone.) "Well...c'mon down here, Lil' Bro" Luna urged with a chuckle, "it's time to open some presents." While still feeling a little down in the mouth, Lincoln didn't want to alarm his family by refusing the request.

After taking his seat between Lynn and Lucy, both Loud Parents began handing out gifts to each of the kids; one by one. It was here that Lincoln saw something that made him chuckle a little. Upon being given one of _her_ gifts, Lori tore it apart like a wild predator mauling its prey.

Bits of tape, ribbon and wrapping paper flew every which way; which made the rest of the family feel a little weirded out. In time, Lori had finally taken off the wrapping paper and was panting loudly with exhaustion. After placing the ribbon upon her hair with a pleasured giggle, she looked at her family's shocked faces and smiled nervously.

"Uh-oh...I did it again, didn't I" she asked with a groan, "this happens to me every year!" Indeed, her words were quite true; every year since she was little, Lori always seemed to have a weird urge to wildly unwrap gifts (even if they weren't addressed to her.) From the smell of the tape, the sound of the paper tearing up right down to the moment one places the bow on their hair; Lori loved it _all._

But at the same time; it acted as both a weird sight to see and a major inconvenience towards the family, in years past. But _this _year, Lori seemed to have the habit...slightly under control. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, she looked down at the gift and squealed with joy.

It was a designer Christmas coat from Fabian Le'Tool from Leni and from the look on Lori's face, she seemed to really love it. "You're totes welcome" Leni said with a smile, "I managed to snag one of the few we had left at Reininger's before the last-minute shoppers came in and took the rest." Upon hearing his sister explain how crazy the shoppers were that day, Lincoln thanked his lucky stars he didn't shop there.

The next to open her gift was Lily, who got a new Blarney plushy; one that was slightly bigger than her. Upon seeing the gift, Lincoln thought that whoever managed to find it must've been luckier than either he or Liam was days ago. One by one, each of Lincoln's sisters and his parents exchanged their gifts with one another.

Before long, the time came for Lincoln to open some of _his _gifts and his sisters openly hoped he would like them. "Go on, Son" Lynn Sr. urged eagerly, "pick out any one of them you want to open first, I've got the camera ready!" With that said, Lincoln let out a heavy sigh and reached out for one of the gifts in his pile.

(Line Break)

In time, Lincoln had opened half of his gifts and he received quite a haul. He got a "Legends of the Hidden Temple" inspired Orange Iguanas jacket, an illusionist magic kit from Luan, a pair of snow gloves from Leni that had the Ace's famous logo on the center, a SMOOCH t-shirt from Luna, a Muscle Fish model kit from Lynn, a sketchbook from Lucy (for whenever he'd indulge in drawing or making comics,) an ARRGH jacket from both Lana and Lola, a handmade picture from Lily featuring them in Christmas outfits and a small coupon book from Lisa. Upon inspection, Lincoln saw that it wasn't a book filled with cards for a store or a restaurant; it was one filled with cards that said things like "one free tutoring session" or "free emergency usage of the bunker."

"Permit me to explain" the wee genius stated, "as you very well know, my genius gets called upon often from people inside _and _outside our home." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, recalling the many local doctors or college professors that called their home to seek information from Lisa. "The book I have just given you, Lincoln grants you cards to offer in exchange for my knowledge for...almost anything" she stated, "which means that unless I'm involved in urgent business, you may use that card to call upon my tutelage."

Lisa then revealed that she made similar books for the rest of the family. The reason being came twofold, so that no one would feel excluded...and for the fact that virtually _everyone _in the house had moments where they needed her "egghead know-how" (as Lynn often put it.) In the end, these gifts were all very wonderful and Lincoln was left understandably awestruck.

"Well, sport; what do ya think" Lynn Sr. said eagerly while readying his camera, "do you like your presents?" For a moment or two, Lincoln didn't answer; which almost led the family to believe he was either ignoring them or something might've been wrong. Then, everyone saw Lincoln's eyes beginning to well-up with tears; which (to Rita) may have been him becoming overwhelmed with joy.

But then, as Lincoln took hold of one of his new jackets; he held it close to face...and burst into tears. Naturally, this sight not only alarmed the parents but all ten of Lincoln's sisters as well; who proceeded to surround him slightly. "Linky, what's the matter" Lola asked sympathetically, "why are you crying?"

Before Lincoln had the chance to answer, Leni started thinking that he hated all their gifts and was moments away from feeling guilty...until Rita quickly stopped her. "I don't think that's the reason he's crying, honey" she stated, "it's probably something more than that." After crying for another minute or two, Lincoln sniffled softly and dried his tears away with his arm."

"You okay now, dude" questioned Luna, "feeling better after you had a good cry?" Lincoln gave a deep sniffle and slowly nodded his head in reply before apologizing for his outburst. "I'm sorry you all had to see that" he murmured shamefully, "it's just...I don't deserve any of this." Everyone gasped loudly in alarm at these words and asked why he would think of such things.

But before he had the chance to answer, the doorbell suddenly rang; which immediately led to Charles barking at the door. "Ooh! You think that's Santa out there" Leni said eagerly, "no, wait...he only comes on Christmas Eve and _that_ was last night." Despite however naïve the young teen's inquiry sounded, everyone felt just as curious to who was outside.

After everyone helped dispose of all the torn wrapping paper; Lynn walked over, moved Charles back slightly and opened the door. When he saw who it was outside, he couldn't help but smile. "Oh, Son; could you come here for a moment" he called out in a sing-song voice, "I've got one last surprise for you."

After wiping away some of his tears, he made his way over to the door and turned his gaze upward. The next thing he knew, a pair of arms suddenly scooped him up and squeezed him tight in a loving embrace. "There he is, there's my special little man" a familiar female voice cried out, "didn't expect to see _us _drop by so soon today, did you?"

Once he was able to move his head, Lincoln looked up and saw the smiling face of his teen friend/legal guardian; Carol Pingrey. Then, he looked behind her and saw that the other Gal Pals (young and old) were standing along with her. Following behind were Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos; who were all dressed up in their police uniforms still.

"Hiya, Lincoln" Cici said from within the crowd, "heard you've been having a bad week...so, we all thought we'd come over and surprise you for Christmas." Though touched that so many of his friends took time out of each of _their _mornings just to see him, Lincoln felt they didn't need to do it. "No dice, little man" Whitney said with a coy grin, "Christmas is about bein' with family...and as far as I'm concerned, we're_ all _family."

Campos chuckled heartily at her statement, proclaiming she couldn't have said it better herself. As the Gals all carefully entered the house, Lily looked up at Whitney and suddenly squealed with delight. "BUNNY HEAD, BUNNY HEAD" she said adorably, "wanna touch da bunny head!"

At first; no one among the Louds, not even the parents, understood Lily's "bunny head" comment. But then, Whitney giggled softly and scooped the babe up into her arms and tickled her belly slightly. "She's talking about _me, _everyone" she chuckled slightly, "this lil' lady thinks my poofy hair looks like a bunny's cottontail...hence her nickname for me, 'Bunny Head.'"

Lily nodded adorably in response and proceeded to rub her tiny hands against Whitney's poof. At first, Rita thought her daughter was invading the teen's personal space. But then, she was pleased to see that Lily made no attempts to pull or tear away at Whitney's hair.

This all seemed like a most adorable scene; one that both Lynn Sr., Leni _and_ Phoebe couldn't resist getting a snapshot of. Then, in an instant; everyone's joy suddenly faded slightly when they saw the tears on Lincoln's face. "Oh...did weeee...did we like...come at a bad time, Mr. and Mrs. L" questioned Phoebe, "if Linc's not in the mood, we'll leave."

Without hesitation, Lincoln quickly assured everyone he was fine...more or less. "It's just...it's like Carol said a moment ago" he murmured, "I've had the absolute worse week in my life yet." Upon making this statement, Lincoln took in a deep breath and...he told everyone _everything._

He told them of disastrous shopping trip two weeks ago, about how he was offered to serve as the greeter elf at the Santa pavilion and how he accepted it straightaway. Lincoln then told them of all the indignities he had to endure while on the job. "I've had so many lattes poured atop my head, I think my hair still smells like Dark Roast Java-Mocha" Lincoln grumbled, "and it was _hot _too...my face still stings!"

He then mentioned about all the people that harassed him in line, each time they assaulted him, kicked his legs and/or rubbed their sticky fingers on his clothes. But the worse of it all, Lincoln confessed, was a tie between enduring Flip's eggnog infused burps that polluted the air and the manager refusing to stop people whenever the patrons almost got him hurt. "By Friday afternoon, last week...I just...I couldn't stand it anymore" Lincoln murmured in a frazzled tone, "as much as I wanted my loved ones to have a good Christmas, it wasn't worth all those indignities!"

By the end, he declared that all of that was so bad; it made him wish he could go back to wearing the dumb Squirrels mascot suit again. This exclamation surprised practically everyone, considering all the bad memories that were attached to the afformentioned suit. "If you really think that, sugar...it _must've_ been bad" Higgins murmured, "then again, it ain't the first time we've heard complaints from people about that job."

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln stared up at her in both confusion and mild intrigue. As if sensing his confusion, Officer Higgins explained that the station's been receiving similar complaints from former elf greeters who worked at the pavilion since it opened during Thanksgiving Break. "The man who 'watches over things' at the pavilion...he hires inexperienced teens and minors for the elf job" Simmons explained, "claims that hirin' professionals would cost him _and_ the mall big money."

The final nail in the coffin came when Campos added how the man managed to get away with this behavior for so long. "You see, _chamaco_...he's related to Ms. Carmichael; your sister, Leni's boss" she explained, "she only gave him the job because she _hoped _it would teach him the value of hard work." When asked the reason behind all this; the police trio said that according to Ms. Carmichael, the man had a history of being a slacker and cutting corners in nearly everything he did.

"He sounds almost as shady as Flip often does" Lincoln muttered, "then again, even _he _has his selfless moments." Everyone nodded in agreement with the statement and urged the officers to continue. "Right...well, what happened with Lincoln at the mall; it's happened several times before" Simmons stated, "last December; two greeter elf actors quit in the span of _one_ week!"

From here, she said the first one quit for the same reasons Lincoln did; mistreatment from mall patrons, poor work hours and the lousy pay. "That last part is especially true" Rita interjected, "when I first started helping drive Lincoln to the mall, he told me how he was only getting $3 dollars an hour...barely enough to earn back his shopping budget!" As for the reason why the second greeter quit, Campos answered with only answered with two words; skimpy costume.

"The fool thought he could attract more customers to the pavilion, if he hired someone no older than Lori to work there" she said with a groan, "the costume was so small; every time she bent down, they could see her _ropa interior._" Upon hearing this term, Lori and Lincoln suddenly blushed heavily; which didn't go unnoticed by the family. "In case you guys are wondering...'_ropa interior'_ is the Spanish term for 'underwear'" Lincoln said in a monotone voice, "as for how we know it...Lori and I heard of it from some members of Bobby's family."

Upon hearing this explanation, the whole family blushed a deep shade of red. As if sensing this, the police trio decided to conclude on their story about the manager. "The point we're trying to make here is...we've been familiar with these kinds of happenings with him for some time" Higgins stated, "but now, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

With that, she took out her phone and revealed a news report that was playing on the screen. It featured the manager (or _former _manager) of the Santa Pavilion being taken out of the mall by Officers Schoffner and Higgins. The subtitle on the teleprompter read _"Greedy Grinch is given Police Sentence as a Christmas Gift."_

"Nobody will have to worry about _him _for some time" Higgins chuckled, "and Ms. Carmichael vows to help pay back all the people her brother hired as compensation for everything they went through...including you, baby." While he _was_ happy that the creep would receive proper justice for his actions, Lincoln still felt a little unhappy. Upon sensing his sullen demeanor; Rita, Lori _and_ Carol enveloped him in a three-sided group hug; urging him not to weep.

"I'm...I'm really sorry, everybody" Lincoln sniffled, "I'm really thankful for all your love and help; truly, I am...but it feels wasted on me." Before anyone could speak up, Lincoln requested if he could retrieve something from his bedroom real quick. "I...suppose so, honey" Rita murmured hesitantly, "but don't dawdle, we've all got plans for today."

After giving his mother an affirmative nod, Lincoln hurried up the stairs as quickly as he could; not caring about how many times his sisters said "no running on the stairs." When he returned, almost fifteen seconds later; everyone could see Lincoln holding a large gift bag in his hands. "Oooh! Is that a gift bag, Linky" Lola asked eagerly, "do you have something in there for any of us?"

After nervously gulping down a lump in his throat, Lincoln gave a slight nod and began fishing his hands around inside the bag. "You guys asked me earlier why I was crying, right" he asked, earning a light nod from everyone; "well, it's because I felt ashamed; you all got me such amazing gifts and all _I _have to offer is...this stuff." With that said, Lincoln drew his hands out of the bag; revealing two small square gifts and an equally small Ziploc bag.

Upon inspection; everyone saw that the small square gift was addressed to Luna, while the rectangular one was for Luan. As for the Ziploc bag, it was for the Gal Pals and seemed to contain a collection of multicolored flash drives; each one labeled with either a small sticker or the initial of their first names. At first, everyone felt confused that Lincoln had so little to offer.

But after remembering everything he went through, they realized he may have had little time to shop. Still, Luna and Luan felt curious about their brother's gifts and asked to open _those _first. "I'm aware that they may not seem like much, girls" Lincoln mumbled sadly while handing the items over, "but...I hope you'll still like them."

From the tone in their brother's voice alone, both Loud Sisters could tell he was being truly sincere with his words and smiled. Then, after they tore apart the wrapping on their gifts; they gasped loudly in shock. Due to his current state of mind, this led Lincoln to believe that they must've hated them.

But then, much to his surprise; not only did he suddenly hear Luna whooping with glee. But before he could even react, she suddenly scooped him up into a near bone-crushing hug. "Dude, you got me a Classic Mick CD; I love this album" she exclaimed, "after I lost my old one, I didn't think the stores would have anymore of these."

When he managed to get the air back in his lungs again, Lincoln questioned Luna on why she seemed so happy about his gift. "I mean...basically, you have almost _everything_ Mick ever recorded" he said matter-of-factly, "the only thing that seemed new was an ad for a Collab album featuring Mick and SMOOCH playing together." Lincoln explained how he originally intended to get _that_ album for her, when he was shopping.

But the price for it was far beyond his allowed shopping budget. Thus, he had to search the bargain bin for something reasonable; which was where he found Classic Mick. "I really appreciate that you wanted to snag that for me, Bro" Luna said kindly, "but while I _did _already have a copy of Classic Mick...that was years ago."

From here; she explained how years worth of repeated playing, rewind and sharing the CD with friends had led to her _original _copy wearing out. "By the time I was in 7th Grade, the disc became too gnarly to play anymore" Luna murmured sullenly, "so...I had to chuck it." After hearing the whole story, Lincoln's earlier worries slowly started to fade; leading him to realize...he might've made a good call after all on the gift.

Next came Luan; who, upon opening her gift, looked upon the joke book with a little bit of confusion at first. When the rest of the family looked at the cover and read that it was full of "Anti-Jokes," they felt just as confused. "Oh, yeah; I think I heard of this kind of material" Lynn Sr. said suddenly, "these jokes are based upon what is known as 'Anti-Humor.'"

Upon hearing the term, Lisa did a quick search on her computer and discovered that "Anti-Humor" was a form of comedy where the comedian makes a joke delivery that supposedly "not funny." But somehow, in an ironic sense; the audience/listener ends up finding the hidden humor in the joke and laughter ensues. "Maybe, a little demonstration would help it make more sense" Jordan suggested, "Luan, why not pick out a joke and test it on us?"

Now, even though she was being outright asked to do so; Luan found herself hesitating a little in telling a joke. She still remembered Miss Simmons' house rule of one pun/joke per day, back in the summer. So, she wondered if the rule still remained.

"Go ahead, hon" the officer urged kindly, "pick out a real side-splitter for us." After that and after taking in a deep breath, Luan skimmed through the book and came upon one she hoped everyone would like. "Okay, guys...I've got a question for ya" she asked timidly, "what's black and white and eats like a horse?"

Almost immediately, Leni started waving her hand in the air; begging for her sister to call on her. "Ooh! Ooh, I know the answer" she exclaimed, "is it...Lynn Jr. at the Jean Juan's wearing a referee's shirt?" This little guess caused everyone to have a soft yet honest chuckle, even Lynn herself couldn't help doing so.

"Sorry, Sis; that's the wrong answer" Luan said firmly, "it's actually a Zebra." For a moment or two, there was nothing but silence; which led the young comedienne to believe she said a terrible joke. But then, after giving the "punchline" some thought; Leni finally got it and burst into a light giggle fit. After that, Lily followed with some giggles of her own; which warmed Luan's heart quite a bit.

After that, she came to another joke and decided to tell it to everyone. "How about this one...why do cows wear bells around their necks" she asked, "because their horns don't work." This time, a good number of both crowds started to laugh pretty heartily. This sight made both Luan _and _Lincoln feel quite happy.

"Okay, last one" Luan decreed while skimming through the book, "my dad and Luna helped me write a song about tortillas...actually, it was more of a rap." That did it; with that joke, everyone doubled over into a fit of laughter. "_Ay, chica;_ that was a good one" Campos gasped between laughs, "your brother picked out a good book for you."

After looking at the item in her hands for a moment and seeing how everyone reacted to the material she used, a broad grin suddenly appeared on Luan's face. "Yeah...I guess he did" she murmured happily, "thanks so much for the great gift, Lincoln." After that, she happily enveloped him into a loving embrace; which made Lincoln feel much happier than he was this morning.

"That's pretty cool for them" Lana murmured, "but what do the rest of _us_ get?" At first, everyone was ready to scold the toddler for her unintentionally greedy-sounding inquiry...but Lincoln quickly stopped them. In that moment realized that now was as good a time as any to come clean.

"Guys...I'm sorry to tell you this, I really am" he murmured shamefully, "but...I don't really have anything else to offer you." From here, he explained that he lost much of the shopping budget he had to either high item prices or strange circumstances that happened to him. "Strange circumstances you say, huh" Kat muttered knowingly, "would one of them happen to involve a pretzel vendor that worked there, by chance?"

Though the question felt too specific, Lincoln still did the respectful thing and nodded in reply. "How did you know about that" he asked suspiciously, "were you shopping at the mall the same day _I_ was or something?" Kat shook her head slightly and told him that Chandler told her about it.

"See...the pretzel vendor that works at the mall is his cousin" she explained, "the other day, he went to the cart to get a few pretzels for him and his buddies and Chandler asked how things were going at work." The story wasn't even halfway through and yet, Lincoln couldn't help but feel worried about what his friend would say next. "A-And...what did the vendor say" he asked in a quivering voice, "did he happen to m-m-mention anything about spilt salt?"

Without hesitation; Kat not only clarified this, she also mentioned how Lincoln took money out of his own pocket to help Chandler's cousin refill the shaker. "Linky, that was so nice of you" Dana said adorably, "but...couldn't the vendor buy the replacement salt instead?" Lincoln gave light nod and said that _would've _been the case...but there was a catch.

"See...I took shelter behind his cart, when I saw a massive crowd of shoppers charging towards me" he explained, "while they were running, the crowd's stampeding footsteps caused vibrations...which _then _resulted in the salt shaker slipping off the cart and fall on my head." Upon saying this, Lincoln ran his hand through his hair to check and see if any salt flakes remained. When he saw that he was all clean, Lincoln sighed with relief and continued his story.

"According to the vendor, that wasn't the first time the salt spilled over" he said with a light head shake, "this led him fearing that he would have to pay for refills out of his Christmas bonus, if his boss found out it happened again." By the end of his story, Lincoln revealed that he gave forty of his hundred dollar shopping budget to the vendor to help purchase more salt; which left him with very little left over to use. "I tried looking for _something_ cheap yet nice to buy for you guys with the little bit I had left, I really did" he said tearfully, "but...anything I had in mind was either sold out or too expensive."

When Lincoln told them about how he gave his last twenty to a bell-ringer for charity, everyone cooed softly with pride. "So, hold on a minute" Stella interjected suddenly, "how does this all involve _you_ ending up in that elf costume...and assaulting the Santa pavilion manager?" Once again, Lincoln was shocked by the specific nature of his friends' questions and responded with one of his own.

"How did you know about that" he asked, "the only people I told about what I was doing were my parents." Upon hearing this reveal, the Loud Sisters now understood why their folks were so hesitant to tell them anything; if they did, it would mean breaking their promise to Lincoln. Meanwhile, Lori brought out her phone and showed an image on the screen; one showing _him_ throwing his elf costume in the manager's face.

It was sent via a text message from someone named Margie and right above the picture, there was something that read _"#HolidayRageQuit"_ in big bold letters. While Lincoln didn't have a clue as to who this "Margie" was, one thing was certain; for the most part, posting this photo exposed his secret to virtually _everyone _on the web (friends and family alike.) "You see, Lincoln; Margie is one of my bunkmates down at Fairway" Lori explained, "but during the holidays, she works part-time at the mall to help pay for her Christmas Shopping _and_ her tuition."

Upon hearing that this "Margie" girl was a both mall worker _and_ a fellow student at Fairway University like his sister, Lincoln felt nervous...yet curious. "I know this may sound weird" he murmured, "but...could I see Margie's picture, I have a feeling I've met her before." While the request was an odd one, Lori quickly brought up Margie's profile and showed it to Lincoln.

When he got a look at the screen, his eyes almost popped from his head. _"That face..._she's _the same woman who manned the register at the mall bookstore"_ Lincoln exclaimed mentally, _"I'm surprised she didn't immediately say anything to Lori when I was there at the beginning."_ Suddenly, Lincoln was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Becky tap on his shoulder.

"I guess this means _you're _the nice elf that helped out my little cousins out a few days back" she said with a warm smile, "thanks a bunch, Linc; you rock!" Though he welcomed her praises, Lincoln was still quite confused as to what she was talking about and asked for an explanation. "Wait...Hang on, I've got the answer on my phone" Becky stated, "my aunt sent it to me after her mall trip that day."

After searching through her phone's e-mails for a few seconds, she found what she needed and showed the picture to Lincoln. "Hey, I know those kids" he exclaimed, "the little boy and his sister were really scared of Santa...until I gave them some advice." Feeling incredibly curious, everyone asked what it was that he told the kids in line.

"I just told them the same thing my mom told my sisters and I when _we_ first met Santa over the years" Lincoln stated, "instead of seeing _his_ face...imagine that you're talking to someone who makes you happy." As example; he said that this "someone" could be a friend, family member, neighbor or anyone else. "Well, it looks like your advice worked" Becky chuckled, "my cousins, according to my aunt, slept right next to the milk and cookies they set out for Santa last night; hoping they'd spot him."

Soon after this reveal, Whitney added that Lincoln's actions towards the pavilion manager had been trending on social media for several days. "You've become a viral inspiration to _all_ holiday workers who felt just as downtrodden as you were, lil' man" she giggled, "and because it went viral, our Babes in Blue here arrived at the scene and...well, you know the rest." The officers in question humbly shrugged at the comment with light smiles, stating that they were only doing her job.

"But...I suppose it _was _a little personal as well as business; at least, for me" Campos murmured with a light blush, "you're like family to the three of us, _chamaco_...and _nobody_ messes with _mi familia!"_ After hearing this story, Lincoln's heart suddenly swelled a little; feeling happy that he made...a sliver of a difference in other people's lives after everything that happened. Yet, in spite of all this; he still felt guilty that he had so little to give to his family.

"I know we've had a lot of...issues towards each other, this year; to put it mildly" Lincoln muttered, "but I didn't want our family's Christmas to be ruined because of it; so...I took the elf job to try and earn my shopping budget back and to try and get something for all of you." All was silent for a few moments, after this was said; which made things feel dreadfully awkward for Lincoln. But then; Luna approached him, got down on her knees and kissed him on his forehead lightly.

"Don't sweat on it, dude...really" Luna kindly insisted, "the fact that you _chose_ to put yourself through all that stuff just to make us happy is the best thing ever." Not long after this, several more of the Loud Sisters sounded off in agreement. "It really means a lot to us too, sport" Lynn Sr. said with a joyful tear in his eye, "now...I guess you understand what your mom and I go through when _we_ go Christmas shopping."

At first, Officer Higgins almost confused his comment for a mean one...until Lincoln assured her that it was his own kind of "holiday joke." Then, he looked up at the Gal Pals and expressed and frowned shamefully. "I'm sorry I didn't get _you _all anything for Christmas either, ladies" he murmured, "nothing...except for those."

Upon taking a glance at the drives again, the Gal Pals insisted that it was still a thoughtful gift; each of them claiming they were in need of a new one anyway. "It's not the drives themselves, it's what's _on them_ that matters" Lincoln retorted, "you see, I...wait, it's probably better if I showed you." Upon saying this, he asked for one of his sisters to loan him their laptop.

Without delay, Luna went upstairs and collected _hers_ from her bedroom. Afterwards; Lincoln placed the laptop on the dining room table, opened it up, plugged in the purple flash drive (with Carol's initial on it) and accessed the file it contained. In an instant, a screen appeared and a slideshow began to play; one containing a collection of photos featuring Lincoln and Carol together.

In the background, everyone could hear a Boyz Will Be Boyz song playing; which Carol proclaimed was her favorite. "Look at this...it's all here" she gasped in awe, "our Spring Break hangouts, our summer adventures...even the Halloween Party we had with the Grimwood Ghouls!" The rest of the Gals all thought it was adorable and quickly realized that the other drives must've contained similar slideshows.

Then, all of a sudden; Phoebe gasped in shock and gave Lincoln a suspicious glance. "Wait...so, that 'special photo project' you asked me to help you with during Thanksgiving Break...was _this_" inquired the young shutterbug, "I...I thought you were simply backing up photos from your computer." Lincoln smiled sheepishly and admitted that what he told her was..._half_ true.

"But I mostly told you that to throw you off" he stated, "I didn't want to spoil the surprise until the big day came." Once the last of Carol's photos went away for _her _slideshow, Lincoln offered to show the next one to everybody; which they warmly agreed.

(Some Time Later)

Almost an hour later, the last slideshow played on the last drive and Lincoln placed it into the open hands of Haiku; who, like the rest of the Gals, were at a loss for words. "So...what do you all think" he asked shyly, "I mean, I know it's not much but..." Before he had the chance to finish, Lincoln suddenly found himself being clutched in a ten-sided group hug.

At the same time, his ears rang loudly from the sounds of the Gals' combined joyful sobs. This went on for a few seconds, until Miss Simmons politely urged all eleven of them to give him some room to breathe. "Right...We're so sorry, Lincoln" Jordan sniffled while releasing her friend, "it's just...that's the greatest gift anyone's ever given me!"

The rest of the Gal Pals sounded off heartily in agreement, all while fruitlessly trying to dry away their tears. "You seriously put yourself through all this work...just to make _us_ and your family happy" Carol asked tearfully, "that is the sweetest thing ever, Lincoln...thank you." Just as the ladies were about to go in for another group hug, Haiku gave a light whistle and pointed upward.

Upon _looking _up, everyone could see the famous sprig of mistletoe hanging...and that Lincoln was standing right smack beneath it. It was in that moment that all eleven gals got the perfect idea on how to thank him for his heartfelt gift. At the same time, the boy in question found himself backing away slightly...but was immediately stopped by his giggling father.

"Nuh-uh, Son; you know the tradition" he said with a light chuckle, if you're under the mistletoe, you get kissed." With that said, he gave the Gal Pals the "a-okay" hand sign; which caused them to approach him while murmuring "come here, cutie." Before long, Lincoln found himself having a moment of déjà vu.

Just like what happened at the Tranquil Springs Spa, last Spring; all the Gals proceeded to assault him with a barrage of hugs, kisses and affectionate nuzzles. The only one who didn't follow their lead was Haiku, who chose to hang back for a brief moment. When the other Gals finally finished their job, Lincoln looked like a silly lovestruck fool with hearts in his eyes and his cheeks blazing like Christmas lights.

"Time for me to finish the job" Haiku murmured with a light grin, "thank you, Lincoln for the wonderful gift and for your friendship...Merry Christmas." After that, she gave him a light yet heartfelt peck on the cheek; which finally pushed Lincoln over the breaking point. With a high-pitched squeal, he stumbled about the room slightly until he fell back safely onto the sofa.

This display not only caused the Gals to burst out in laughter but the Louds and the officers as well. "HA-HA! This lil' man is too much" Officer Simmons giggled, "but...hold up; who are these other flash drives in here for?" Seeing as how her son was...currently out of commission (so to speak,) Rita decided to offer up an explanation.

"One is for Ronnie Anne and _her_ family down in Great Lakes City that Lincoln plans on sending" she stated, "as for the others, they're for yours and your partners' families." This news came as a great surprise to Simmons, who proclaimed getting so many photos together for so many drives must've taken a lot of work from Lincoln and those involved. "It's just as I said earlier" Phoebe stated, "during Break, last month; Linc and his buddies asked for _me_ to help put all this together for him."

Upon hearing this, once again; the officers thanked Phoebe for her handiwork and smiled down at the dazed Loud boy. "Hope he doesn't plan on sleeping for too long" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "we've got plans for today." The Gal Pals squealed with excitement (while making sure not to do so too loudly) and asked how they could help out.

"Well, the first thing is to make sure we get my little brother to the...meeting spot" Lori whispered, "you think you could help with that, Carol?" In response, she gave a thumbs up and hugged her bestie to seal the deal. "As for the rest of you, you're with me" Lynn Sr. instructed, "this Christmas is going to be big!"

(Line Break)

When he managed to reawaken, sometime later, Lincoln saw that he was sitting in the front seat of a van. At first, he got a little nervous, thinking he got kidnapped. But then; he looked to the side, saw that Carol was at the wheel and sighed with relief.

"Well...good morning again, sleepyhead" the teen giggled, "did you have a nice nap?" After giving a prodigious yawn in response, Lincoln rubbed his eyes and asked where they were. "It's a surprise, pal" Carol said with a light giggle, "and I think you're gonna like it." Perhaps it was due to the fact that his brain still felt sluggish.

But something about Carol's words felt rather suspicious to him. Still, Lincoln knew his friend/guardian would never play a trick on him...that was more _Luan's_ job. "Okay, what's the surprise" he asked with a knowing look, "I'm not getting in another silly outfit again, am I?"

Carol shook her head in response to this and assured him that all his questions would be answered once they got inside. Upon leaving the van, Lincoln was greeted by the familiar sight of Lynn's Table. "WHOA! I haven't been here in a while" he exclaimed, "but...don't we usually hang at Gus'?"

Carol giggled lightly in response and reminded him that the gang already made plans for Gus' Games n' Grub for New Year's Eve. "But we best hurry" she ordered, "you didn't hear it from me...but I think there's something waiting for you inside." With stars of excitement in his eyes, Lincoln was prepared to make a beeline for the door...until Carol suddenly pulled him back.

Before he could make a protest, she suddenly wrapped a blindfold around his eyes and helped lead him inside. "Okay, Carol...seriously" Lincoln muttered, "if you or any of the Gals plan on pranking me, I'm gonna be upset." The teen offered no reply, she simply kept walking forward with his hand in hers until they reached the door.

Upon hearing the sound of a bell jingle, Lincoln sensed that he had entered the restaurant and swiftly removed his blindfold. The moment he did, he was greeted by a surprising sight. All around him; friends, family, classmates and even some neighbors greeted Lincoln with a loud outcry of "SURPRISE!"

"What the...What's all this" Lincoln said with mixed tone of shock and delight, "did my parents invite the whole town over for a Christmas party?" After he said this; Clyde's dad, Harold approached him and placed a Santa hat atop his head while stating that he was...half-right in his guess. "It's like Whitney told you earlier, Linky" Carol giggled from behind, "what you did at the mall really garnered a lot of attention...and everyone here wanted to throw this party for you, to say thanks for putting up with their craziness at the mall."

With that said, she gave a quick wave of her hand and a group of little kids came up to Lincoln. Afterwards, they gave him a large "thank you" card that said "Merry Christmas Lil' Elf Friend." Then, Becky's aunt approached with her children in hand and expressed her sincerest thanks to Lincoln. "Had it not been for your help, this would be the _fourth_ year in a row my daughter came home from the mall crying" the woman explained, "but you helped give her the courage she needed to see Santa in a whole new way...thank you."

Soon after this, several other parents expressed similar feelings of gratitude to Lincoln for his help; which left him...mildly overwhelmed. "I really appreciate it, everybody" he muttered, 'but what I did was no big deal." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln suddenly felt someone pat him swiftly on the back; startling him.

He turned with a start and spotted Chandler, Lance and Trent standing behind him; which made him a little nervous. "Oh, uh...hey, guys" Lincoln murmured shyly, "um...so, I guess you know that _I _was the elf everyone picked on...right?" Chandler nodded silently in reply and exchanged a high-five with him, expressing his regret over what happened.

"Seriously, dude...when we found out what's been going on; it blew our minds" Trent muttered, "so, thanks for not holding a grudge on us for accidentally razzing you...and for helping out Chandler's cousin." Whether by coincidence or by random chance, the moment this was said; the aforementioned pretzel vendor called out from inside the kitchen and waved at Lincoln happily. "HEY, LIL' DUDE" he cried, "glad you could join the party!"

Wishing to say hello, Lincoln walked over and joined him in the kitchen. There, he saw that the vendor and Kotaro were working together in making some soft pretzel rods for the party attendees. "You really saved my bacon, lil' dude" the vendor stated, "that's better than any Christmas gift I'd get from my folks."

Lincoln blushed sheepishly at the compliment and said that he just "happened to be at the right place at the right time." "Well, after seeing you stick it to that sleazeball, I decided to quit my job at that cart" he said proudly, "your Pop was nice enough to give me a place here makin' pastries for the restaurant, after I told him what happened." Lincoln was left dumbfounded by this story; it seemed Whitney was right, his actions _did _seem to inspire some people.

Then, after he got back to the dining area; several of Lincoln's friends called him over to one of the booth seats. Not needing to be told twice, he collected some food at the buffet and headed over. "Hey, dude; Merry Christmas" Rusty greeted warmly, "guess all that hard work you did really paid off, huh?"

Lincoln nodded silently in response, after getting a load at all the smiling faces that surrounded him. Then, Zach proceeded to ask whatever happened to the "old dude that hung around Lincoln at the mall." "Yeah, you told us _he_ was the one who talked you into getting that elf greeter job" Clyde stated, "did you ever see him again, after you quit?"

Lincoln nodded slightly in reply and explained that the old man (or Nicky as he knew him) helped give him a ride back home. "After that, I don't know _what _happened" he stated, "maybe _he _quit his job like Chandler's cousin did." Upon being reminded of Nicky, Lincoln gave a long sigh; wishing he had the chance to thank him again for all his help.

Just then, his mother soon approached him; holding what looked like an olde timey scroll in her hand. "I forgot to tell you; I found this was in your stocking, while we were opening gifts" she explained while handing Lincoln the scroll, "I would've given it to you at the house...but you passed out from the mistletoe kisses you were given." After Lincoln chuckled lightly at the not-so long ago memory, he gently unrolled the scroll; wondering what it was and who sent it to him.

The text looked like a sort of...medieval/renaissance handwriting but thankfully, Lincoln was able to read all of it.

_Dear Lincoln,_

_ Thanks for all your help and dedication at the mall this past week and thank you for your kind donation. You've truly been a real good boy this year and have earned some well-deserved fun-time and relaxation with your loved ones...I know I certainly have. Never lose your kind heart, no matter what happens in the days ahead._

_ Warmest regards,_

_ Nicky_

_P.S. Next year; if you see me working at the mall...could you tell me the recipe for those Oatmeal and Butterscotch cookies you and your friend, Clyde came up with? They're amazing!_

After reading the final word, the scroll suddenly vanished in a burst of what looked like pixie dust. But before anyone (mostly Lisa) could declare otherwise, Lana and Lola were outside of the restaurant; gazing up at the sky in awe. "Guys! Come out here, quick" they called out in unison, "IT'S SANTA CLAUS!"

At first, many of the parents were prepared to lightly dismiss the claim as delightfully childish whimsy. But then, the sound of jingle bells rang out loudly from above; which startled everyone. This prompted all those inside of Lynn's Table to hurry out the door to see what was happening.

The moment every man, woman and child cast their eyes skyward; their jaws suddenly dropped. Flying overhead was the familiar sight of a miniature red sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. At the reins of this sleigh was the equally familiar sight of a certain jolly bearded fellow in red. Naturally, many dismissed the sight as merely an illusion.

But even Lisa fully admitted that it looked, sounded and even smelled quite real; to her. "HA! We told you he was real, Sis" Lana boasted proudly, "you owe me and Lola all the Christmas cookies we can stomach!" Meanwhile, several teens were snapping pictures of the sleigh on their cellphones, thinking that it was a worthy photo op.

"Dudes...nobody at school's gonna believe this" Phoebe said with a smile, "I'm right here and even _I_ don't believe it!" All around, people were chattering and murmuring with excitement at their first up-close glimpse of the real Santa Claus sleigh. Meanwhile, Lincoln only looked up in silence with a broad smile across his face.

_"Thanks, Nicky"_ he thought to himself, _"thank you so much for all your help and...everything else."_ Up above, Nicky glanced down below over his shoulder and smiled back at Lincoln; despite the fact that he was now a small dot from his altitude. "Merry Christmas, Lincoln; Merry Christmas Royal Woods" he called out, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

(First AN: What better way to end a Christmas themed oneshot with an iconic line from one of history's most famous poems. Looks like everything turned out okay for Lincoln and his loved ones, this Christmas. Let his experience be a lesson to us all; no matter how much the world may screw you over, never lose sight of your holiday spirit.

On that note, see you for the next installment and Merry Christmas in July)

(Second AN: I know some people may think Lincoln should've gotten gifts for all ten of his sisters. But when you think about it; even with the budget he had before, how would that be possible? Follow up question, would his sisters want him to suffer all those indignities for their sake...I think not.

At least, that's how they feel these days. In any case, knowing that Lincoln chose to put himself through the wringer just to make them happy has far greater value than any kind of cheap item at the mall ever could; am I right or am I wrong)

(Third AN: To anyone who guessed Nicky's identity before this part came up, congrats. To anyone who felt that it was too weird to add him into the Loud House universe; let's not forget that Linc and everybody met real monsters, in the Halloween three-parter. Speaking of which, someone requested that I had Lincoln or somebody meet Santa in person.

Consider that request granted)

(Fourth AN: I hope I did a good enough job connecting all the people Linc met at the mall with certain members of his friends and/or family. I forget who it was *memory is bad sometimes* but someone asked me to make this so; particularly with Chandler and the pretzel vendor. As I said, I hope I did a good job)

(Fifth AN: Some also requested that the Santa pavilion manager also face justice for what he did to Lincoln. At the same time, someone asked me how Biff got out of _his_ sentence from the incident he caused on Halloween. I won't give away much, want to save the character for a later oneshot.

But let's just say that he's got more than "good looks and skills")

(Final AN: The cookie recipe Nicky asked for is a reference from the episode Tough Cookies, where Lincoln and Clyde originally made Oatmeal and Butterscotch Cookies the first time. Figured Nicky would like something different than just the usual chocolate chip people set out for him.

But...I actually wonder if such a combination actually tastes good)


	21. Getting To Snow You with the Gal Pals

Getting to "Snow" You with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: During Winter Break, everyone in Royal Woods, young and old, wakes up to see snow falling outside. As expected, everyone plans to enjoy it in any way possible...except for one young lady, Stella. Turns out, back in her old hometown; it never snowed that often and as a result, she's never known about the fun of Snow Days before.

Will her friends be able to show Stella what she was missing out on...or will it only lead to her wanting to stay indoors all winter?)

Our story opens on a brisk morning in Royal Woods during the middle of Winter Break. As the sun slowly rose up into the sky; down at the Loud House, Lincoln and his sisters could be found sluggishly pushing themselves out of bed (or in Lily's case, crawling out of bed.) It was the middle of Winter Break and by this point, the family had gone through a good chunk of each of their Holiday Hall, which seems surprising for a family of thirteen (not including the pets.)

As a result, the Loud Siblings feared that this morning would be nothing more than another cold and boring day at home. But as they slowly made their way downstairs; Lily, who was being carried in Lori's arms, took one look out the living room window and saw something that made her squeal loudly. The aforementioned noise caused the other ten siblings to immediately plug up their ears and groan loudly.

"Dearest Little Sister...we all love you with all our hearts" Lisa murmured dryly, "but it is far too early in the day for _any _of us to hear your infantile noises!" While the others murmured/moaned softly in agreement with the wee genius, Lily suddenly started fidgeting violently in Lori's arms. The whole time she did, she also kept jabbing her finger towards the window; as if trying to show or tell them something.

But much to Lily's disappointment, her siblings dismissed her behavior as nothing more than her being fussy. With a soft yet annoyed grunt; she cupped her tiny hands on Lori's face and did her darndest to try and turn her head towards the window. "Okay, Lily...you've gotta stop this" the eldest Loud Sibling said tiredly, "I swear I'll play with you..._after_ I wake up."

With that said, she handed Lily off down to Lincoln before heading for the kitchen for some breakfast. Meanwhile, the baby in question was slowly running out of patience and tried yet _another_ attempt to show her siblings what she saw. This time, however; she lunged up slightly, took hold of Lincoln's cowlick and tugged it slightly.

"OW! HEY, LILY" he cried painfully, "what did Mom and Dad say about pulling our hair when we hold you?" Much to Lincoln's surprise, his littlest sister ignored his firm tone and gave his hair another swift tug. This resulted in him catching just enough of a glimpse of the atmosphere outside.

Upon stepping closer to the window for a better look, Lincoln saw the unmistakably familiar sight of small white flakes falling from the grey skies above. At the same time, he looked towards the rest of the neighborhood and saw that every inch of the block from the yards to the street was completely covered in white fluff. Before long, Lincoln's sisters joined him at the window and gasped in awe at the white flakes falling.

Then, after taking note of all of this; broad smiles slowly formed on each of the siblings' faces. Meanwhile, in the second floor of the house; Rita and Lynn Sr. were slowly pushing _themselves_ out of bed next. They barely had the chance to yawn, let alone greet one another; when their whole house suddenly echoed with the unmistakable sounds of loud feminine squeals.

"What's happening, girls; what's all the noise about" both parents cried while rushing yet tumbling slightly down the stairs, "are any of you hurt?!" Just like before, Lily grunted softly with a smile and started jabbing her tiny fingers towards the atmosphere outside. However, unlike with her siblings; her _parents_ were actually able to understand her mannerisms and looked out the window.

"Well...what do ya know; looks like Ol' Man Winter paid the town a visit, last night" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "and you kids know what that means, right?" Without missing a beat, Lincoln and his sisters leapt into the air and bellowed out the joyful words "SNOW DAY!" Of course...not _all _of the siblings felt joyful about this situation.

Upon hearing mention that today was to be a snow day, Lisa let out a soft sigh and proceeded back upstairs to her room. "You are all welcome to indulge in your winter-themed activities, Family" she murmured, "as for me, I will be working on some much needed projects I've been putting off since Thanksgiving Break." While this idea _was_ an acceptable way to pass the time on a snow day, Lincoln and the rest of his sisters still felt suspicious.

"How do we know you don't plan on messing with us like you did during our last snow day, brah" questioned Luna, "I still remember what you did to all of us back then."

(A quick flashback shows the "viewer" images of the Loud Siblings being chased by a seemingly crazed Lisa, who is driving a rather large tank. Said tank had been outfitted to fire snowballs at them at high velocity)

The moment these memories flashed through their collective minds, all ten of the other Loud Siblings shivered slightly with fear. Meanwhile, Lisa still felt relatively indifferent about her actions; proclaiming that she needed to show a little "tough love" in order for her point to get across. "That's still no excuse for your behavior, young lady" Rita said as she entered the living room with a cup of coffee in hand, "thankfully, it's still Winter Break; which means you have no cause to try and ruin your siblings' fun this year."

As expected, Lisa attempted to make another defense towards her case; further insisting that a developing mind "desperately required" eight hours of education. "That may be true, hon...but using a tank and other dangerous methods on your own siblings to get your way is _still_ inexcusable" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "thankfully, your little toys have all been confiscated and you're now forbidden by law to interfere in any weather related maintenance." To ensure that he was being serious, he took out his phone and brought up Miss Simmons' number.

Upon seeing said number, the young genius now saw the point her father was trying to make. Winter Break or not; if she made another attempt to perform any unauthorized snow cleanup herself, the police would have her apprehended and she'd either be punished by _them_...or her parents. With all this in mind, Lisa soon realized her family left her completely outmatched (even though her pride would never let her openly admit it.)

With all this in mind, she let out a sigh and proceeded upstairs to her room to begin her work. "I still question the appeal of playing out in the snow like savages" she stated, "the weather is 15 below zero, the icy walkways make it impossible to walk about anywhere and all the heavy clothing we wear outside makes it _insanely_ difficult to move about!" While each of their sister's points _were_ rather valid, the rest of the Louds dismissed it as her being a simple sourpuss.

"Be that as it may, you will _not _interfere in another snow day unless it's a dire situation" Rita said firmly, "am I understood?" Normally, Lisa had been known to stick to her guns with her beliefs and stand firm; even when faced up against her parents. But seeing as how the combined authority of the RWPD and her parents superseded her intellect, she had no choice but to relent.

"Good...now, go and attend to your projects, sweetie while the others enjoy this snow day _their _way" Lynn Sr. ordered kindly, "if you play your cards right, I'll make some of my famous hot cocoa with cinnamon later." Upon hearing the mention of the famous wintertime beverage, each of the Loud Siblings suddenly felt a joyful squiggly-line smile form on each of their faces. With all that settled, everyone else sat down for breakfast and began discussing any plans they had in mind for today while Lisa retreated to her lab work.

"Hey, Mom; mind if I ask you a favor" inquired Lincoln, "would it be okay if I hung out with my friends for the snow day?" It didn't take long for everyone to realize that Lincoln was referring to both his original clique _and _the Gal Pals. In any case, Rita happily granted her son's request...on the condition that he helped Lynn Jr. in shoveling off the sidewalk.

"Don't worry, Bro" the family jock chuckled, "I'll help lend a hand, if you need one...which I think you will." After he shared a chuckle at Lynn's light jab at his expense, Lincoln wondered if any of the Gal Pals were prepping for the snow day.

(Line Break)

As we leave the Loud Family behind for the moment; all across town, people young and old were getting themselves ready to enjoy the snow day fun. At the McBride household, Harold and Howard had almost outfitted Clyde with four rows worth of winter wear. "Dads, please; we talked about this" he groaned while unzipping his other coats, "I'm perfectly okay with going outside in my usual snow gear."

Though he knew his son spoke the truth and had certainly become more outgoing than usual in the past year, Howard still had his doubts. "Honey, I know you're right" he said kindly, "but your father and I just want to make sure you don't get frostbite or anything while you play out there." At first; Clyde felt that his fathers were, once again making too big of a mountain out of a molehill.

But then, he realized that the frostbite thing _was_ a serious issue to watch out for. Thus, in the end; the three of them came to a rather reasonable compromise. "How about you wear that new red snow shirt and those extra thick gloves your father got you for Christmas, honey" Howard suggested, "the coat will still allow you to move _and_ the gloves will help keep your hands nice and toasty out there."

After giving the idea some thought, Clyde collected the items in question and slipped them on to test how they all felt on him. On the surface, the coat appeared quite thick and heavy. But thankfully, Clyde was able to move his arms about every which way without any difficulty.

Moving on to the gloves; not only were they easy to slip on but the Velcro kept them firmly but not too tightly fastened to his wrists and according to Howard, the material was hypoallergenic. "There we are" Harold said with a smile, "now, go get your snow pants on and you can go out...just make sure to watch out for icy spots on the sidewalk!" Clyde nodded slightly in response, gave his dads a quick hug and proceeded off to his room.

Meanwhile, in another part of town; Liam was seen safely putting the animals inside of their pens. "There now, y'all" he said with a sweet smile, "you should be nice n' toasty inside while this snow's goin' on." The animals smiled back at him and thanked the young farm boy with a symphony of happy animal sounds.

Once his job was finished, Liam approached his parents and asked if he could go and play in the snow with his friends. "Let me just check your work, Son" Liam's father murmured, "don't wanna have any loose ends behind now." With that said, he made a quick walk around the grounds and checked every work area for anything that seemed out of place.

The chickens' feed troth had been filled with scratch, Virginia was gnawing away at her slop in the pig pen, there were newly shoveled paths leading to all the aforementioned areas and Carol Anne, the family goat, was also nibbling away at her own food. "Yup, everything appears to be in order" Liam's father said with a bright smile, "thanks for helpin' with the mornin' chores, Son; you can go play now." After giving out a joyful "YEE-HAW," Liam rushed back into the house to put on his snow gear.

Along the way, he passed by his "Mee-Maw;" who was sitting snuggly in a reclining chair under a thick blanket. "You go and have fun, sug" she said with a light yawn, "as for me...imma gonna stay inside where's all warm n' toasty-like." With that said, she took hold of the remote and began flipping through the channels.

Liam gave a light chuckle at this sight and headed up to his room, anxious to get his snow clothes on and head outside for some fun. Meanwhile, in another part of town; the Gurdle Family was helping Liam get ready for the snow outside as well. Of course; due to their on-again/off-again paranoia, they would often go...a little overboard.

"Mom, Dad...I told you before, it's just snow" Zach groaned, "there's no reason for you to make me an aluminum snow hat!" Both of the elder Gurdles briefly ceased working and faced their son with crazed stares. "But honey, this is the kind of weather where most alien life-forms thrive in" Mrs. Gurdle said nervously, "I just want to make sure none of the...'snowflakes' out there are actually tiny extraterrestrial microbes that could burrow into your brain and..."

Before his mother could finish her tirade, Zach snatched a marshmallow (one of some they planned to use for hot chocolate) and stuffed it into her mouth. "_MOM..._I'm telling you, I'll be okay" he cried in exasperation, "I'll be with my friends and if _anything_ goes wrong, they'll give you a call." In spite of their still lingering doubts and concerns, both parents decided to trust their son and let him go.

"Just...wear at least, _two _layers of foil beneath your snow hat for us" Mrs. Gurdle requested, "just to be safe." After giving a small eye roll, Zach sighed softly and accepted his mother's request. With a joyful squeal, both parents lined the inside of the hat with foil and neatly placed it atop their son's head.

_"I mean..._I'm _just as skeptical about aliens as they are, at times" _he thought to himself, _"but even _I _have my limits."_

(Line Break)

As we leave the boy behind for the moment; we, now turn things over to the homes of each member of the Gal Pals crew (that is to say, the Royal Woods Branch.) Some of them (like Jordan, Cici, Kat and even Cristina) were swiftly dressing themselves; anxious to head out the door for some fun. On the other hand; while they also shared in the excitement, others had a bit more difficulty.

To be more specific; two members of the crew, Tonya and Whitney, were having a doozey of a time trying to get themselves dressed. But their endeavors were consistently thwarted by a common enemy...their poofy hair. In Tonya's room, she could be seen hoping and bouncing about the place; angrily trying to get her hair through the collar of her sweater.

But in the end, she lost her balance and fell unceremoniously onto the floor. "AH, DANG IT...that's the _fifth time_ this morning" Tonya groaned in frustration, "I know I should've gone with Linc and the crew to the spa last month...they probably could've done somethin' about my afro!" As Tonya slowly picked herself up and tossed her sweater at her dresser, a soft knock sounded off outside of her door.

"Kiddo, are you doin' okay" a soft voice asked with concern, "your Mama and I heard some crashing and we thought you might've had a serious fall." Not wishing to appear indecent, Tonya quickly put on her regular shirt and opened up the door; revealing her concerned mother, Donna on the other side. "Sorry for scarin' y'all, Mama" she murmured, "I just fell over myself while tryin' to get my stupid sweater over my _stupid hair!_"

With an angry huff, Tonya plonked herself atop her bed and proclaimed she should've "lopped off" her hair on New Year's Even; stating that her "resolution" was to not let it get the best of her again. "Don't start talking crazy now, kid" Donna said firmly, "just like your sass and good looks, you get your hair from Gail and I don't want to see that ruined." Though she appreciated her mother's kind words, it didn't make her feel any less annoyed.

After that, she tried to get one of her regular shirts on...only to be met with the same problem from moments ago. Upon seeing the situation for herself, an idea suddenly came to Donna's mind. "I'll be back in a sec, T" she said while darting out the door, "just gotta get something from the kitchen." Due to her current frustration towards her wardrobe issue, poor Tonya didn't quite care that her mother needed to leave so quickly.

Then, seconds later; Donna returned with a large bowl in her hands. Inside was what looked like a couple of egg yolks, some olive oil and a few splotches of honey. Then, at a near lightning fast speed; she began to mix the concoction up in the bowl. "Uh...Mama, what exactly are you doin'" questioned Tonya uneasily, "ain't it a little too early to start bakin' any..."

Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, Tonya was suddenly turned around and had her posture slouched forward slightly. Then, from the corner of her eye; she could see Donna moving her gloved hands around inside of the bowl. This left the poor girl feeling even more confused.

"Just sit tight, hon and let me work my magic" Donna urged softly, "this will definitely solve your lil' problem." With that, she began to massage her hands against Tonya's hair; making sure to get almost every lock with each rub. At first; the way the oil, honey and egg yolk felt against her hair caused her to shiver slightly with discomfort.

But a minute or so later, the rubbing her mother was giving her felt oddly relaxing. Then, just as quickly as it started; Donna suddenly stopped working and asked Tonya to try putting on one of her shirts. "I dunno, Mama" she said with an uncertain tone, "do ya really think that goop's gonna..."

Before Tonya had the chance to finish her statement, Donna picked up one of her shirts and proceeded to try and help slip it on. At first; it looked like the poor girl's hair would, once again, refuse to go through the shirt hole. But then, much to Tonya's amazement, both her poofy afro _and _her head managed to slip cleanly through the hole.

"WOW! That was actually...pretty easy" she murmured in awe, "the collar just...slipped right over my hair like nothin'." With a proud smile upon her face, Donna proclaimed that the "miracle" was all thanks to her little "life hack" she created. "See...back when your Mom and I were dating, she used to have the same issue as you did just now" she explained, "there were even times where I thought seeing her tryin' to fit her hair through her shirts looked kinda...adorable."

The moment this was said, both ladies suddenly heard the words "I HEARD THAT" sound off from downstairs. This sudden outcry caused the two them to laugh loudly with amusement. After their giggling subsided, Donna cleared her throat and got back to telling her story.

"Because Gail's own hair was so fluffy, I wondered if there was a way to...soften it up a little" Donna murmured thoughtfully, "that's when I decided to do somethin' I never thought I'd _ever_ do...seek advice in those beauty magazines." This revelation came as such a shock to Tonya, her jaw almost hit the floor. But this behavior was mostly because she never _once_ imagined the idea of her "hardcore biker mom" reading "girly" magazines.

"So, let me get this straight" Tonya murmured in disbelief, "these fashion mags told you how people with poofy hair can get their shirts on?" With a hearty laugh in her throat, Donna shook her head and clarified that the articles she read discussed how to soften one's hair; not how to get their clothes on. "The remedy was not only simple, it was also inexpensive too" she stated, "all ya need is some veggie/olive oil, honey and a one egg yolk...or two, for people with _your_ kind of hair."

To conclude her tale, Donna said that all it took was to properly mix up the ingredients and rub it against one's hair. As a result; the mixture would help soften the locks just enough to either make it feel less heavy on their heads or in other cases, get their shirts on. "That's actually kinda cool, Mama" Tonya said in amazement, "I should send the recipe to my friend, Whitney...she has just as much hair trouble as _I _do."

After saying this, she let out a soft gasp and realized she was almost late to meet with the others for snow day fun and proceeded to rush down to the front door. "You gotta put your snow gear on first, pal" Donna exclaimed with a light chuckle, "might I suggest wearing your _zip-up_ snow coat instead of your other ones?" Upon realizing her behavior, Tonya blushed shyly and walked over towards the mudroom to collect the aforementioned gear.

Once she was finally fully dressed, moments later; Tonya felt ready and raring for some fun. At the same time; Omar, who appeared to be dressed in a rather thick snow shirt, was also ready to head out. The last thing Tonya needed to put on was her snow hat, which only managed to fit over her hair; not her ears.

Thankfully, her moms were prepared for this and gave her some earmuffs to wear. "Now remember, baby" Officer Simmons stated, "make sure you two play safe out there, watch out for ice patches on the sidewalk and most importantly, if y'all find yourselves in a snowball fight...don't yell at your target _before_ you attack; you'll lose the element of surprise, if ya do." Tonya and Omar giggled softly at their mother, thanked her for her advice and rushed out the door.

"Get your phone out and put out the call, Big O" Tonya said with a hearty cheer, "'cause it's time to hit the powder!" With a broad smile upon his face, Omar pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent out a mass text to the entire Gal Pals and Guy Squad crews. Sometime later; after they've all had their morning meals and changed, the rest of the children of Royal Woods rushed out of their houses and began their merriment.

All around you could see toddlers making snow angels, parents helping children build snow sculptures...as well as one or two disgruntled individuals having to spend the morning shoveling their walks or driveways (like Mr. Grouse.) Among these jubilant souls was our favorite duo friend groups, the Gal Pals and the Guy Squad; who decided to meet up at Jordan's front yard. "Alright, everybody; listen up" Carol said in a mock military tone of voice, "today's mission is to enjoy every second of every minute of today's snow day in _any_ possible way."

Soon after she said this; everyone, young and old, responded with a hearty "MA'AM, YES MA'AM!" Then; Clyde, while still in soldier mode, saluted Carol and asked to speak freely. "You may, lil' dude" the teen giggled, "what's on your mind?"

After letting his posture ease up slightly, Clyde revealed a small flaw in their groups' plans. "There appears to be someone missing from our ranks" he stated, "has anyone seen any sign of Stella this morning?" Upon hearing this reveal, both groups started looking all around them; eager to find even the slightest sign of Stella anywhere.

However, they _did _catch sight of someone else running towards their location; specifically a young teen with a very recognizable blonde poof. At one point during her stride, Whitney slipped on a patch of ice and landed on her rear. Not long after that, she slid the rest of the way towards her friends at incredible speed.

When she eventually, reached the end of the ice patch; Whitney was sent flying into the air and landed unceremoniously atop her friends. "Whoops...sorry about that, guys" she murmured with a shy smile, "I really should've watched where I was going." No sooner had she said this; Becky, Carol and Dana each gave her a firm glare that seemed to say "YA THINK?!"

However, in spite of the collision; everyone appeared to still be in one piece and relatively unharmed...aside from having a little snow in their clothes, that is. "Again, sorry about the crash _and _for running late" Whitney murmured, "I had the darndest time getting my stupid coat over my stupid hair!" Upon hearing her teen friend's rant, Tonya patted her shoulder and proclaimed she had the same issue mere moments ago.

"This kinda thing's been happening to me since Fourth Grade" she groaned, "Momma Donna told me the same thing's happened to Mama Gail for years!" It was here that Tonya asked Whitney if she received her text yet, which contained her mother's recipe for softer hair.

"Let's worry about that later, girls" Carol said suddenly, "for now, we've got another slightly more important issue on our hands to attend to." With this small statement, both ladies suddenly grew worried and asked if anyone was hurt or something; be it from the earlier crash or some other incident. Straightaway, everyone assured Whitney that they were fine and clarified that it was _Stella _whom they were concerned about.

"It's interesting you mention her, y'all" Tonya stated, "when Omar sent out the mass text for us all to meet here, everyone replied back...except for Stella." Both guys and gals suddenly grew worried and wondered if their friend might be sick or something. It was here that Lincoln and the boys volunteered to go to her house and see if she was okay.

"Go for it, dudes and give her our regards" Paige stated, "just don't take too long or else all the good activity spots will be filled." With that said, Carol instructed the boys to meet with them at the park later; after they've attended to Stella. After one quick multi-sided high-five, both parties split up and went to opposite ends of town.

(Line Break)

Meanwhile, in another part of town; Stella was seen sitting with her granny in the living room of her house. They sat together and peacefully watched TV, as the snowflakes continued falling outside. Then, Stella's mother entered and asked either of them if they wanted a refill on their tea.

"Thanks for the offer, Mom" Stella said warmly, "but I think we're good he..." Before she had the chance to finish, there was a strong knock at the door; which caused the family (sans Granny) to almost jump out of their skin. At the same time, this sudden start caused Stella to accidentally drop her teacup on her; thus spilling some of the drink.

Now, as it was mentioned earlier; Stella's granny didn't really hear the knocking that clearly, at first. Being as old as she was, such noises to quite register with her as quickly as they should. But then, when the knocking came a second time; her slightly wrinkled face contorted into a scowl and she shuffled her way towards the door.

With one swift movement of her wrist, Granny threw open the door and exclaimed "I SAY TO YOU BEFORE, WE DON'T WANT NOTHING!" Mere seconds after this outburst, she suddenly heard a pair of startled yelps from somewhere close by. After taking a moment to clean her ears out with her finger, Granny looked down and saw two young boys standing on the porch.

When she saw that one of them had white hair, her demeanor changed in an instant. "OH! STELLA'S LITTLE FRIEND, LINCOLN" she cried out joyfully in her broken English, "it so nice to see you, come in." The moment he heard the old woman's tone of voice change, Lincoln suddenly felt calmer and headed inside.

But before he could take two steps forward, Clyde gripped him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Dude, what are you doing" he asked in a hushed yet confused, "it's obvious this lady doesn't like visitors!" No sooner had he said this, both boys suddenly heard Stella's voice urging them to come inside.

Upon hearing someone more familiar greet them, Clyde's earlier anxiety faded slightly and he allowed Lincoln to proceed. Once they've entered, Granny immediately apologized for her behavior from before. "It's no problem, Ma'am and don't worry about my buddy here" Lincoln said while wiping off his boots, "this is just his first time meeting you."

After this was settled, he introduced Clyde to the elderly woman; who tried her best to offer her sincerest apologies for scaring him. But sadly, Clyde was...a tad confused by Granny's broken English and he asked Lincoln if she was okay. "She's right as rain, dude" Stella assured while greeting both boys with a hug, "my granny's Filipino, you see and she mostly communicates through her native tongue of Tagalog."

Though he himself wasn't quite familiar with the language in question, Clyde still understood the situation and smiled over at Granny. "We are...sorry...if...we...disturbed your...morning...Madam" he said apologetically while slightly enunciating each word, "we...just...wanted...to speak...with...your granddaughter." After saying the final word, Clyde suddenly started to pant heavily; as if he had finished running a marathon.

This behavior suddenly caused Granny to burst out into giggles before she proclaimed "you funny young man, I like you." Upon hearing her kind words, Clyde offered up a smile and thanked her respectably. "Well, I'm glad that's settled" Stella said calmly, "now...could you kindly explain why you were BANGING AT MY DOOR THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING?!"

As shocking as it was for the boys to hear Granny shout at them earlier, it felt slightly more terrifying seeing their friend in such an angry state. That was when they saw the tea stain on her PJ shirt and everything became clear. "Oops...We're really sorry about that, Stell" Lincoln said in a nervous yet sincere tone, "but we...just got so excited to invite you to join us down at the park."

The moment this was brought up, Stella gave the boys a rather confused look; as if they were spouting gibberish. "Hold on...back up a minute" she said dumbfounded, "you guys are actually...going outside in all this...by choice?" At first, neither Lincoln nor Clyde said a word; mostly because they didn't know if their friend was being serious or not.

After a while, they looked at her and answered her inquiry with a simple yet enthusiastic "YES!" What happened next was something neither of them ever expected. First, they noticed that Stella's eyes were darting about nervously and then, she ran her hands through her hair; as if her mind was still having difficulty processing everything.

Then, Lincoln saw that her parents were performing the same odd mannerisms as her. It was then that the answer became rather clear to him...they were scared (or at least, nervous about going out in the snow.) "Guys...have you ever _seen _snow before" Clyde asked hesitantly, "I mean, I recall it snowing a little during Thanksgiving Break; so..."

Just as he was about to finish his statement, Clyde looked ahead and saw Stella giving him a "do you take me for a fool" kind of look. This caused him to immediately cover his mouth and apologize for making any offenses. "I think what Clyde meant to say was...why you seem so confused by us wanting to play outside" Lincoln politely inquired, "a lot of people do that during snow days."

With this explanation, Stella's family finally understood the issue and gestured for the boys to take a seat; which they did. Afterwards, Granny offered some of her tea to them; in case they wanted something warm to drink. "Thanks but no thanks, Ma'am" Lincoln said respectfully, "I'm more into hot cocoa during this time of year."

Granny nodded her head slightly in understanding, poured herself another cup and handed the teapot off to her daughter (Stella's Mom.) As she walked up to the sink to refill it with hot water, she decided to help explain the family's "situation" to Lincoln. "To answer your earlier question; yes, we've _all _seen snow before" she stated, "we're just...not used to it is all."

This answer seemed to leave the boys slightly more confused than they were earlier, to say the least. It was here that Stella explained that before moving to Michigan (and to an extent, Royal Woods) they weren't that accustomed to snowy weather in their old hometown. "See, we lived in one of the...warmer states; back in the day" she stated, "as a result, our winters there ranged between slightly frigid to mildly warm."

After getting the tag in; Stella's father said that whenever they _did_ get snow in their old stomping grounds, it either didn't last for very long or it didn't cover up very much of the ground. "I myself don't quite enjoy the snowy weather during wintertime, to be honest" Stella's mother confessed, "it's not only cold but there are loads of things that can go wrong." From here, she went on a tangent on all of the possible worst case scenarios she can think of about the snow.

These ranged from slipping on the ice, sinking through thick snow banks, catching frostbite and who knows what else. "Ma'am, I totally understand where you're coming from" Clyde said matter-of-factly, "my dads often get nervous about me playing in the snow too." The atmosphere suddenly became quite tense, after he made this reveal and Stella felt it didn't quite help make Clyde's case that positive.

"So...if your fathers are as nervous as you say about snow days, how are you allowed to go outside" she asked inquisitively, "don't tell me they spy on you from the bushes." Rather than be offended by the idea, Clyde couldn't help but laugh; thinking that such a thing _did _feel like something either one of his dads might do. "Yeah...every now and again, my dads _do_ feel protective still" he admitted, "but they also know I'm stronger than I look _and_ that I've got my friends to look out for me."

Upon saying this, Lincoln suddenly remembered that they needed to regroup with the others at the park. As such, he wanted to make one final attempt to get Stella's parents to let her come out with them. "I can promise you, everyone; we'll be perfectly safe outside today" he assured, "we've got our Gal Pals looking out for us, the rest of the Guys will be joining us...and some of my sisters will be there too."

All was silent for a moment or so, after this; as Stella's parents took some time to think everything over. Finally, her father looked down at Lincoln with a smile and patted his shoulder. "Okay, young man; you've convinced me" he stated, "Stella can go out with you all, _but..._we have a few conditions."

After they heaved out a sigh of relief, both Lincoln and Clyde stood at attention and asked what they needed to do. "Stella can join you on your...fun in the snow; as long as you do the following things" Stella's mother requested, "be careful while walking around out there, make certain to wear the appropriate clothes, stick together with whatever group you're with, try to stay warm and (deep inhale) call us or any of the adults, if anything goes wrong." No sooner had the woman finished speaking, Clyde was already fast at work writing down the conditions onto a notepad.

This sight caused Granny to chuckle heartily before she said something in her native tongue. "What was that, what did she say" Clyde asked in confusion, "could someone give me a translation?" With a giggle, Stella patted her bestie on the shoulder and said that her granny was simply reminding everyone to have fun...and to tell Clyde that he was very resourceful.

"Oh, uh...thanks, Ma'am" the young McBride boy said with a shy blush, "and...uh, we'll definitely make sure to have fun; don't you worry." After that, Stella's mother brought her over to the mudroom and proceeded to dress her in all the "proper snow gear" with near lightning fast speed. By the end of it all; Stella had three hats over her head, an extra large set of earmuffs over her ears and seemed to be wearing seven layers of clothes.

She had four thick snow coats on, a pair of snow goggles strapped around her head and had a scarf wrapped around her face. With so much clothing on, she could barely pull her arms down or talk beneath the scarf. "Take it off, honey" Granny muttered while shaking her head, "you only going outside to park, not to South Pole."

Time and again, Stella's mother tried to get her own mother to understand that she only wanted her daughter to be prepared and kept safe. But Granny insisted that having so many layers of clothes on would make her situation even more of a struggle than she claimed. "She's right, Mom" Stella groaned while shaking the scarf from her face, "I can barely move with all this on, which would make it easier for me to get stuck someplace or who knows what else!"

With a reluctant sigh, Stella's mother helped remove some of the snow gear off. All that remained afterwards were her one pair of thick snow pants, her snow jacket, her snow cap with a pair of earflaps on the sides and she was given a much smaller scarf to wear around her neck. "Okay, this is much better" Stella sighed with relief, "thanks for letting me do this, guys; see ya in a few."

With that said, she and the boys went out the door; giggling with excitement. This left Stella's parents and Granny in the house on their own. Then, almost half a minute later; the mother felt a chill of worry run down her spine.

As if sensing this; Granny poured three cups of tea, one for herself and two for the parents, and smiled warmly. "Don't worry so much, sweeties" she said calmly, "back in old country, we never had snow but I know people like to have fun in it here." Not long after she said this; Granny proclaimed that as long as Stella stayed together with her friends, she would be fine.

"I...suppose you're right, Mother" Stella's mom murmured, "but I just hope things down get too wild out there for her."

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the boys and Stella safely reached the park and began to seek out any sign of the Gals or the Guys. During their search, Stella took a moment to observe her surroundings. There were little kids making snow angels, couples ice skating together on the nearby pond, children her age flying about on sleds and many other sights.

To say that Stella was in awe by all this would be an understatement and the boys couldn't be happier. Then, without warning; one of the sled riders zipped by Stella. As a result, she spun about in place for a few seconds before she fell over onto the snow.

"Watch where you're standing, girly" the kid called out with a slight chuckle, "don't want to end up becomin' snow pizza, right?" Though the jab at her expense wasn't really that clever, it was still enough to make Stella feel somewhat nervous. _"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea coming out here after all"_ she thought to herself, _"maybe I should just go back home."_

Just then, she was shaken out of her train of thought when Lincoln and Clyde helped pull her back up onto her feet. "Are you okay, Stell" the latter boy asked, "that guy didn't run over your foot or anything, did he?" After giving her boots a quick inspection, Stella was relieved to see that nothing appeared to be out of place or broken.

"Does that kind of thing happen a lot during these snow days" she asked uneasily, "you know...the flying by on sleds thing?" Without missing a beat, both boys nodded and explained how sledding was one of many things people did to enjoy the snowy weather. "There are other things to do besides that" Clyde interjected, "there's building snow sculptures/snowmen, ice skating, making snow angels...OH! Let's not forget catching snowflakes with your tongue."

After hearing the last example, Stella questioned why _anyone_ would want to catch flakes on their tongue. To which Lincoln answered in saying that it was simply "for the fun of it." "Think of it as a...a sort of game" he said simply, "there are so many snowflakes falling, people might think it's impossible to catch _any_ of them on your tongue."

Soon after he said all this, Lincoln suddenly felt Clyde urging him to look upward. That was when the trio caught sight of all the snowflakes falling. "C'mon, guys" Clyde exclaimed excitedly, "let's see which one of us can catch the most flakes on their tongues!"

With that challenge made, he and Lincoln immediately went to work; while Stella stood behind, still pondering on the initial "point" behind the whole thing. That was when she felt a sudden cold sensation nip at her nose. She crossed her eyes slightly until they reached the bridge of her nose and that's when she saw it, a large snowflake resting at the tip.

Stella gave her head a shake, both to shake off the aforementioned flake and to remove the chilly sensation from her face. When the boys caught sight of this, they gestured at their own tongues; as if instructing Stella on what to do. After letting out an uncertain squeak, she stuck out her tongue as far as she could and eased her head upward.

She had barely moved her chin halfway up when four flakes suddenly touched down upon it. _"Huh...that wasn't so hard after all"_ she thought, _"and those snowflakes were actually...kinda tasty, it's like eating unflavored shaved ice."_ With this thought in mind, catching snowflakes became much easier for Stella to do.

By the time she and the boys decided to call it quits, they each lost count of how many they all caught. However; it didn't really matter, in the end. "I'm just happy we got you to embrace in the game to begin with" Lincoln said with great pride, "you have officially done your first snow day activity...congrats."

Though she didn't see it as that big of a thing to make praise about, Stella still felt flattered by her friend's statement and bowed her head slightly. "The next activity is an easy one" Clyde stated, "and we're already halfway there by lying here in the snow." Feeling mildly confused by her friend's words, Stella asked what sort of activity involved sitting in snow.

In response to this, the boys offered up two simple words; "snow angels." "It's really easy to do, Stell" Clyde stated, "you just lie back and wave your limbs in and out for a few seconds." With that, he fell backwards into the snow and began fanning his arms and legs repeatedly.

This went on for about fifteen seconds and then, Clyde leapt up onto his feet and looked over at his handiwork. "Very nice job, dude" Lincoln complimented, "don't forget the halo." Without a moment's pause, Clyde brought his index finger down to the spot just above his angel's head and dragged it slightly in the snow.

Once he was finished, he looked at his angel again and gave a satisfied sigh. The whole time this happened, Stella watched the boys in both intrigue and mild confusion. "You guys actually...like doing this" she asked, "aren't you worried some snow will get in your clothes or anything?"

Both boys considered the scenario, for a moment; then, they each offered her a playful shrug and said "if it happens...it happens." As the trio broke out into jolly laughter, Lincoln suddenly felt his phone vibrating and brought it out of his pocket. When he turned it on, he saw a text message from Jordan asking him "where are you guys" in text form (i.e. "where R U Guys?")

With this simple message, Lincoln suddenly realized their shenanigans had accidentally made them late for their meet-up at the center of the park. "Well, what are we doing standing here for" Stella said with a chuckle, "let's hoof it!" Just as she was about to head off, Clyde reminded her that running on snow wasn't that good of an idea.

"Not all of the snow is very soft" he informed, "some of it can actually be pretty slippery." While both she and Lincoln appreciated their friend's warning, Stella questioned how else they planned on getting to the meeting spot. "We've got just the idea, Stell" Clyde stated, "but let me ask you something...are you ready to go for a ride?"

Though the question sounded a touch odd to her, at first; she still responded with a slight nod. After that; Lincoln brought out his trusty sled, the Fearsome Flyer and placed it on the snow. Before boarding, he offered Stella to sit at the front; so that she could be the first to feel the rush of the ride.

"Uh...I dunno, guys" Stella murmured uneasily, "can this thing fit all three of us and are we _sure_ this idea is safe?" The boys took her concerns into consideration, for a moment; then, Lincoln patted her shoulder and offered up a soft smile. "We'll help you out the whole way, we promise" he assured, "and if it will make you feel safer...one of us will hold onto you to make sure you stay on."

At first, Stella felt slightly apprehensive about Lincoln's suggestion. But after giving it some thought, she realized it was the safest thing to do. "Okay, we'll go along with that" she stated, "but be warned; even though we're friends, if either of you purposefully moves your hands to anywhere I don't like, I'm pushing them off!"

In response to this, both Lincoln and Clyde offered Stella the famous "Scout's Honor" salute; promising to not violate her personal space in that manner. With that settled, Stella and Lincoln took their places on the sled; while Clyde helped give them a push. Once they got the proper momentum, seconds later, Clyde hopped on and they went flying.

In a matter of seconds, the trio were whizzing along the snowy park grounds like a rocket; doing their best to avoid any people and obstacles in their path along the way. _"Wow, I didn't think the snow would be able to hold all three of us on the sled"_ Lincoln thought mentally, _"at this rate, we'll reach the others in no time...wherever they are."_

(Line Break)

In another area of the park; the atmosphere appeared...eerily quiet, compared to everywhere else. There was nothing there, except for a collection of Snow Forts; some small and some slightly big. It was so quiet there, one could hear the snowflakes break apart as they landed on the ground.

Behind each of these forts were a few of the town's children, each one looking about the area with intense expressions upon their faces. Among these children were Jordan, Cici, Kat, Paige and Mollie; who all had ready made snowballs clenched tight in their hands. "It's too quiet out there, ladies" Cici whispered softly, "ya think they may have called it quits already?"

On one hand, Jordan thought the idea was plausible and that the other snowball fighters might've decided on a ceasefire. But on the other hand, a part of her believed the silence might've been a trap just to lure them out. "We should see if the coast is clear" Jordan whispered, "Kat, stick your hat over the wall quick and see if anyone spots it."

Though she didn't quite like the idea of leaving her hair exposed in the snow for very long, Kat realized that there was no other way and did as her friend instructed. She took off her snow hat with one hand and in the other, she held a long hockey stick. As silently as she could, Kat placed her cap over the handle of the stick and slowly eased it up in the air.

The pom-pom of her hat had barely gone three inches passed the top of the wall, when a large snowball suddenly flew towards it; knocking it down into the snow. "Nice try, Kitty" the voice of Trent called out from behind one of the forts, "but there's no point in making a distraction when you're surrounded on all sides!" Kat fumed heavily at these words, not only for the fact that her other BFF was right...but for the fact that he was calling her out by her old nickname; which the Gals couldn't help but giggle at.

"No time for jokes, ladies" Kat said firmly, "we gotta think of some way to make our move against one of the other forts." For a moment or so, each of the preteen Gals racked their brains to the point of burnout; desperate to try and think of a good strategy. But after a while, the headaches kicked in and they decided to stop.

"Our only other option is to somehow, distract everybody" Mollie said in a hushed tone, "but how are the four of _us_ going to do something like that?" As if Fate had heard her concerns; at that very moment, every child behind each fort suddenly heard the sounds of screaming on the eastern side of the "battlefield." Feeling curious; all the children, young and old, peeked over their fort walls to see what was going on.

It was in that moment when they caught sight of something heading their way...a sled being ridden by three people. "Hold up, is that...Stella over there" Jordan murmured, "cool, looks like the boys managed to get a hold of her after all." While the others felt equally pleased by this development; they soon noticed that Stella, Lincoln and Clyde were coming down their way pretty fast.

Naturally, while _their_ group felt concerned about this; the other snowball fighters saw their sudden arrival as nothing more than an easy target. "Ready your snowballs, everybody" Omar called out, "on my signal...unleash wintery heck." Upon hearing her brother say all this, Tonya questioned him on whose side he was supposed to be on.

"You're forgetting one of the golden rules of the game, _chica_" Dolores said with a snicker, "in a snowball fight...almost anything goes." With that, she readied herself a makeshift snow catapult; consisting of nothing more than a wooden board and an extra-wide snow shovel. Dolores then filled said shovel with over two dozen ready made snowballs.

Meanwhile, as Lincoln's sled whizzed past the other forts; everyone else unleashed a flurry of snowballs down at them. But because it was moving by so fast; no one was able to land a single hit on Lincoln, Clyde _or _Stella. Back at her fort, Dolores and her teammates (Lainey, Alice, Kaito and Chandler) waited patiently for their target to come in range.

But then, after taking another look at their approach; Kaito suddenly grew very nervous and suggested that they should retreat. "Retreat...dude, are you nuts" Chandler exclaimed, "why the heck should we run from here and risk getting nailed by the others?" Before Kaito had a chance to make a reply, Stella and the boys' sled suddenly crashed into the fort's main wall; sending snowflakes flying every which way.

As a result of the aforementioned collision; not only was the wall destroyed, everyone on the spot was buried deep in the snow. Upon seeing the crash, Lori and Carol popped out from behind both of _their_ forts and called for an immediate timeout. "Hold your snowballs, folks" Jordan called out, "we've got a pair of men and a woman down!"

While everyone disliked the idea of stopping the game, especially those who claimed to be "winning;" they knew that helping those in need was more important and immediately leapt into action. Within moments, several kids hurried over and helped pull the trio out of the snow mound they were buried in. Afterwards, everyone looked over the three of them to see if there was anything amiss.

"Everything appears to be in place, guys" Becky announced with a relieved sigh, "are you guys okay, nothing broken or anything?" After taking a moment to shake some snow off of them, Lincoln and Clyde assured everyone that they were quite alright. "What about you, Stella" questioned Paige after she dusted some snow off her friend's hair, "are you feeling ooooh...oh, jeez."

The moment she took a look at Stella's face, her train of thought came to a screeching halt. The poor girl's irises had shrunken with fear, her face had become slightly pale and she had a sort of "Thousand Yard Stare" look on her face; the kind most military people had after surviving wartime trauma. The moment they saw this look, everyone glared daggers down upon Lincoln and Clyde; who were already sweating through their winter coats.

"Boys...you better have an explanation for this" Carol prodded firmly, "and it had better be good." After gulping down a nervous lump in his throat, Lincoln slid over to Stella and did his best to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. But after snapping his fingers and calling out her name two times over, she still didn't respond.

Then, after calling out to Stella a third time, her lower lip started quivering. Next, everyone could hear her voice coming out in soft yet strained whispers. But in spite of that, they could hear her muttering the words "I gotta" several times over.

"What is it, Stell; what do ya gotta do" Rusty asked anxiously, "you need a bucket, your phone, do you need an ice pack?" The moment he made this suggestion, his friends looked in Rusty's direction and thought "please, tell us you're joking." Then, everyone soon heard Stella muttering the words "I gotta" again; this time, in a slightly louder tone of voice.

Once again, everyone asked what it was their friend needed...but she quickly held up her hand while muttering the two words; silencing everyone. Afterwards, Stella cleared out her throat loudly and took in a deep breath to help calm down a little. "Are you okay now, Stell" Clyde asked worriedly, "what is it that you've got to do...just tell us and we'll help you out however you want."

Stella smiled slightly in appreciation and took in another deep breath, before speaking again. "Guys, I gotta...I gotta" she muttered softly, "I...I GOTTA DO THAT AGAIN!" To say that this outburst both shocked and confused everyone would be a gross understatement. Then, mere seconds later; Stella pushed herself off the snow and started jumping about merrily like a crazed nut.

Though thankful as they were to see her in such good spirits; this sight came as such a shock to everyone, they swiftly fainted backwards into the snow.

(Line Break)

Later that afternoon, all the Guys and the Gals headed over to the Louds' house for some hot cocoa. They were later joined by some of the other parents, particularly Stella's; who were anxious to know how their daughter's first snow day outing went. Stories were shared, laughs were had and some (specifically Phoebe and Carol) even took pictures of their whole outing.

"HA-HA-HA-HA! I told you that wasn't a good hiding spot for the two of you" Phoebe chortled loudly, "I'm amazed you didn't fall over from being hit by so many snowballs." As she enlarged the photo on her phone, everyone guffawed madly at the amount of white snow that was stuck in both Tonya and Whitney's hair. Even the girls' own mothers couldn't help but find the whole thing a little humorous.

"Laugh it up, people; LAUGH IT UP" Whitney grumbled, "I'll make sure to remember that when the _next_ opportunity for a snowball fight happens." No sooner had she said this, Leni looked on her phone and said that another snow shower would be passing by tomorrow morning. "That means we all have some fresh powder to play around in" Rusty said with glee, "er...that is to say, there will be some for _most _of us to play in."

Upon making this statement, all eyes fell over to Stella; who was sipping on her hot chocolate while stroking Cliff's back soothingly. When she noticed the looks everyone was giving her, Stella asked if anything was wrong. "No, not really" Lincoln said hesitantly, "we were just wondering if...if you enjoyed your first ever snow day today."

For a moment or two, she didn't make a reply; she just sat in the chair with drink in hand, looking around at everyone. While doing so; her mind echoed with the sounds of all the laughter, battle cries and joyous screams that she heard mere hours ago. At the same time, she took hold of Phoebe's camera and shuffled through the pictures she herself took.

With each one she looked at, a Cheshire Cat grin slowly began to form over Stella's face. "Judgin' from that smile on your face, honey; you must've had a grand old time" Officer Simmons laughed heartily, "did y'all really sled all the way across the park to meet your friends?" Without hesitation; Stella, Lincoln and Clyde nodded their heads in unison and assured everyone that what happened was 100% true.

"Even though it was just across the parkway, it was all still the biggest rush I've ever had" Stella giggled madly, "the wind running through your hair, the snowflakes falling on your face, the sound of the snow beneath the sled crackling...it was incredible!" With a laugh in his throat; Lincoln told his lady friend that while the aforementioned experience _was_ fun, the _true_ thrill of sledding came from going downhill.

"Yeah! Tomorrow, we'll take you down to some of our favorite sledding spots" Clyde interjected, "that is...if your parents say it's alright." Once the spotlight was on them, both of Stella's folks found themselves stirring their cups of cocoa in nervous silence; as if unsure on how they should respond. Finally, the mother let out a sigh and said that while she wasn't very fond of snow days herself; if her daughter enjoyed it, she could keep having fun.

"Thank you so much ma'am, really" Lincoln said gratefully, "and don't worry; we'll be there to help Stella out, in case she needs a hand." With that settled, everybody began to discuss other snow day activities for the next day. "I think I should start out slow, before we go sledding" Stella suggested, "I wanna try out making the snow sculptures you and Clyde mentioned earlier."

Just as the Guys and Gals were about to sound off in agreement, Tonya and Whitney suddenly yelped in pain. Lincoln looked over and saw that they were both fine...save for the fact that Lily was tugging at their poofy hair slightly. Despite having tiny hands and fingers, the littlest Loud Sister still had quite grip on her.

"AH! Now, Missy; we talked about this, remember" Whitney asked firmly, "no tug-tug on the poof-poof." Tonya echoed the same statement to the baby while preparing to add a sassy finger snap to emphasize her words. But before she could do just that, she took one look at Lily's "puppy dog stare" and...her heart instantly melted.

This caused a soft smile to appear on both Rita and Lynn's faces and then, they decided to share one other fun thing about snow days with Stella. "What else is left, guys" she asked eagerly, "your son and the others showed me so much already." No sooner had she asked this, Charles leapt up into Stella's lap and lied down beside Cliff; feeling suddenly at peace with the young lady.

"The snow may be cold like the rest of winter" Lincoln confessed sullenly, "but...on the bright side, it's perfect weather for cuddling." No sooner had he said this; Lilly curled herself comfortably between Tonya and Whitney, while Carol and Dana took Lincoln into _their _arms. After that, the Loud Parents sat together in a cuddled position and the rest of their daughters followed suite.

Then, Lori did something she never imagined she would do...she coiled her arm around Clyde slightly and brought him to her side. At first, her touch sent a sudden shiver across his body; while a blush slowly formed on his cheeks. But surprisingly, he neither bled through the nose nor went into "Overload Mode."

With a light smile upon his face, Clyde murmured a soft "thank you" up to Lori and relaxed himself comfortably against a pillow. "This is really nice, you guys" Stella said with contentment, "if all snow days are like this...I'm really excited for the next one." To seal the deal, the Gals and Guys clinked their cups together in a toast.

Meanwhile, Stella's parents found themselves sinking heavily in their seats with worry; wondering if they will be able to survive an entire season of crazy activities.

(First AN: For this installment, I got the idea from the fact that Stella wasn't originally from Royal Woods. This led me to wonder if she and her family ever _had _snow days where they used to live. Most real world people who live on the west coast or Texas hardly ever see that much snow due to the warm temperatures.

But I don't think she used to live in any of those places. Regardless, I thought that sort of circumstance would make an excellent theme for this oneshot and I hope you'll all enjoy it; in the end)

(Second AN: The "Lisa with a snow tank" thing is a reference to Snow Bored, an episode that I consider to be one of my least favorites due to the aforementioned character's behavior in it. This oneshot could be seen as a "remake" of that episode but with Stella instead of Lisa. But rest assured, this venture was entirely my own idea)

(Third AN: Since this involved Stella, I thought it would be fun to bring back her granny into the Gal Pals universe. On that note; until the show tells us who she is, I've decided to address her as "Granny." I hope that all makes sense to you.)

(Final AN: Speaking of things that I hope make sense; even though Tonya calls _both_ her mothers "Mama," she does so in different ways. For Officer Simmons, she uses the typical term; while she uses the Cajun/Southern term for Donna. Hope that helps clear up any confusion...and I also hope no one pulls out the "race card" on me for that)


	22. Take the Stage with the Gal Pals

Take the Stage with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: It's the annual Royal Woods Community Talent Competition and Lincoln has decided to sign up, wishing to share his current level of stage magic skills with others. Upon his arrival, he sees a lot of familiar faces; including someone he hadn't seen since the Sadie Hawkins Dance back in elementary school. Much to Lincoln's surprise, this someone asks _him_ to be their partner for their stage performance.

Will their past memories cause them both to beef it on stage or will they be able to bring down the house?)

Down at the Royal Woods Community Center, people young and old stood in line beside the stage steps. Among them was Lincoln Loud, who appeared to be sweating so bad that the janitorial staff felt libel to put "wet floor" signs near him. Upon seeing her older brother in such a state, Lola reached up and snapped her fingers in front of his face.

Despite however soft it was, this sudden noise was just enough to break Lincoln out of his nervous trance. "Lincoln, chill out" Lola said in mild annoyance, "you're acting like you haven't performed in front of people before." She then listed out each of the times Lincoln ever sang, danced, performed magic or any other form of performing arts in front of other people in the past.

"Those times were different though, Lola" Lincoln murmured, "in each of those moments, I did that stuff in front of friends and/or family; _this _is the Community Talent Show...where half of Royal Woods will be watching us!" After taking her brother's words to heart; Lola realized that unlike her, Lincoln wasn't used to performing crowds of near hundreds. That was when she decided to do something unexpected.

"Listen to me carefully, Linky" Lola said in a slightly firm tone, "remember what you always tell me before my pageants...don't think about the people watching, just go out and give it your best shot." In that moment, Lincoln suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu flow through him and he couldn't help but chuckle a little. "There we go" Lola said with glee, "there's that smile...now, are you gonna go up on that stage and show everybody what you got?"

With a fierce look of determination in his eyes, Lincoln smiled broadly at his little sister and nodded in reply. Then, he looked up at the stage and spotted a young lady waving at him. This filled Lincoln with an even greater sense of determination.

But before he could think much on it, the stage hand arrived and called out his name. "Loud, Lincoln; you and your partner are up next" she stated, "so, be ready." Once this was announced, Lincoln placed his backpack on the floor and did a quick inventory check; not wishing to appear shorthanded on stage.

Once everything seemed to be in order, he shared a quick "thank you" hug with Lola and proceeded up onto the stage; where he took his place beside the young lady that waved at him before. As they stood there in silence, waiting for the curtain to go up; Lincoln looked back into his memory to figure out just _how_ he found himself in this situation.

(Days Earlier)

Winter Break was slowly coming to a close, which was something nobody liked to hear; including our favorite friend group. While much of their break had been filled with snow day antics, holiday parties and even a little trip to the spa to shake off the Winter Chill from their bones; there appeared to be little next to nothing else fun left to do. One day, while on their computers, the Gals decided to discuss possible ideas on what to do during their last week of freedom before school starts.

Many of these ideas were simple at best; like a trip to Dairy Land, hot cocoa and poetry at the Burnt Bean, ice skating or even taking a trip down to Great Lakes to visit the Casagrandes again and/or see the sights. But all too quickly, everyone soon realized some flaws in each activity idea. Dairyland was closed until Spring, very few of them knew how to ice skate, the Burnt Bean was also closed until the middle of January (what with the owner going on a holiday trip to the Caribbean and in terms of weather, Great Lakes got hit with more snow than Royal Woods did.

As a result of this, all road ways to and from the city were closed down for the next few days. This meant that Carol wouldn't be able to make it up to the apartment building, despite being only two hours out of town. With each of their ideas shot down, everyone feared that their remaining days of Break truly _would_ be a bust.

Just then, over on _her_ video chat window; an idea began to form in Haiku's mind, causing her to smile broadly. "Hold up, ladies" Haiku called out softly, "I think I may have something that could be the perfect way to end our break with a bang." With that said, she hurried off to her room; saying she had something in her desk drawer that would explain everything.

When she made her return, moments later; everyone saw that she had a sheet of paper held tightly in her hands. "What'cha got there, Haiku" Phoebe inquired, "some new art piece you've been working on or something?" The wee Goth shook her head slightly and showed off the paper to everyone on the chat, which was revealed to be an old print out ad for an event.

"My mom found it down at the store, the other day" she murmured, "turns out, the annual community talent show is right around the corner and she thought I could take part in it." Almost immediately, the other Gal Pals couldn't help but agree with Mrs. Matthew's idea. No sooner had they said this, everyone swiftly came to the same conclusion; they'd end their Winter Break by entering the Talent Show.

"There's just one issue with the idea, ladies" Dana interjected softly, "only a small handful of us actually _has_ talents or special skills to show off on stage." Once this was brought up; a wave of realization suddenly washed over the likes of Cristina, Stella, Whitney and especially Dana. But the instant these thoughts came into mind, Carol reminded everyone that while they couldn't _all_ take part in the competition; watching the show would still be just as fun.

"Yeah, C; you raise a good point" Phoebe chuckled, "the question is...who else here wishes to take part in it?" As expected, Haiku was the first to speak up; saying that she and Lucy would be doing a Collab together. Next was Carol, who said she wanted to show off some fun golfing tricks she practiced at home over Winter Break.

"We'll join too" Jordan and Paige called out in unison, "we've got some dance skills that we think people will really love!" By the near end of their discussion, six out of their crew of eleven proclaimed they'd be taking part in the show. "You know, ladies; I just realized something" Kat interjected suddenly, "ya think Lincoln or his sisters know about this competition.

The moment they heard this suggestion, every Gal Pal broke out into a fit of hearty laughter; including Haiku. "Knowing the Louds; I can tell that at least, _half_ of them will want to take part in it" Whitney chuckled, "especially a certain comedienne in the house." As they started thinking about whom among the Sisters would be signing up, the youngest among them suddenly brought up the _males_ within the family; namely Lincoln and his dad, Lynn Sr.

"But what choice of talent would Mr. L choose to show off" Cici pondered, "Linc says he's really good with a cowbell and we _all_ know for a fact how awesome of a cook he is." No sooner had their friend mentioned this, every Gal started patting their stomachs with blissful contentment; recalling all the delicious recipe samples Mr. Loud let them try. But while they unanimously agreed that his cooking _would_ probably earn him an easy victory, they also feared that other competitors would call him "over-qualified" for this same thing.

That was when they came to the youngest male of the house, Lincoln. "Lori told me he's already signed himself up" Lori said with a smile, "said Linc's going to show off some new magic skills he's been working on." With this reveal, half of the Gals (namely those who _wouldn't _be competing) proclaimed that they might check out his performance; just to see how good their little man was.

That was when Stella made a surprising reveal, that she wasn't quite as fond about magic tricks or shows as Lincoln was. "It's almost always the same ol' tricks" she groaned, "either a coin behind the ear, the 'Mystery of the Linking Rings' or pulling a rabbit out of a hat." After a moment or two of hesitation, some of the other Gal Pals suddenly found themselves agreeing with her.

But then, Haiku quickly revealed that she and her nana's troupe of actors have been giving him some pointers on some new tricks during their season pass trip to the Ren Faire back in August. "She didn't teach my special little guy any of that creepy Black Magic stuff, have you" Dana asked in a mildly threatening tone, "because if _anyone, _especially me, gets turned into a toad in the audience; I'm going to..." Before the teen could finish her threat, Haiku quickly assured her that she had zero skill in such spells.

"However, I think he said something about Miss Grimwood also giving him some pointers on Illusions while she and her students were in town" she stated, "in any case, nothing _any of us_ taught him will be of any danger to anyone." For a moment, everyone felt hesitant in believing their Gothic comrade. But when they realized that this was _Lincoln_ whom they were talking about, a boy who'd _never_ hurt others without probable cause, their concerns slowly faded.

"It doesn't matter what tricks Lincoln's learned or who's been teaching him what; this is Lincoln we're talking about here...our best buddy" Jordan stated firmly, "we've always supported and helped each other...do we really plan on stopping that now?" Without a second thought or a pause, the ladies realized that she was right. "I know _some_ of us think magic shows are...kinda lame" Jordan murmured, "but if Clyde is able to put aside his feelings towards it just to make his bestie happy, we should to!"

Upon making this statement, the remaining ten Gal Pals suddenly felt a fire ignite inside their bellies and sounded out with a proud cheer. With that, they all agreed to stand by their best guy friend _and _each other for the show; no matter how "boring" some of their performances might be. But mere seconds after they said this, another web chat window appeared revealing the face of Lincoln himself; who proceeded to cry out "I HEARD THAT!"

After having a good laugh, the friend group got serious and vowed to stand by and watch the show; no matter what skill set he planned on using. "Aw, you guys...this means so much to me" Lincoln sighed while wiping a tear from his eye, "what did I ever do to deserve you all in my life?" In response to this, some of the Gals blew him a kiss and told him "just keep being you" in unison.

"Thanks a bunch, ladies; I owe ya" Lincoln said gratefully, "I'll see you at the show...I LOVE YOU!" While this statement was said in a rather friendly manner; some like Jordan, Cristina, Kat and even Stella couldn't help but blush a little. Meanwhile, Carol and her crew of teens/young adult ladies giggled softly and replied "we love you too" back to Lincoln while blowing him kisses.

"Ugh! Okay, enough with the sappy talk" Haiku groaned softly with a light grin, "I care about Lincoln too...but if you all keep acting mushy like this, I'm hiding in my coffin until Break's over." After everyone shared a good laugh at this statement; they, once again assured Lincoln that they would either be watching him perform or will be watching him from backstage until they themselves would come up to perform. "Again, girls; thanks so much for this" Lincoln said gratefully, "I promise to repay you somehow."

With that said, everyone wished each other goodbye and the video chat windows began to disappear; one by one. But not before Stella reminded Lincoln that she'd only be watching a magic show because _he _was the one performing it. "If it were anyone else, I'd spend every minute of the act looking at my phone" she said firmly, "so...I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you."

In response to this, not only did Lincoln express his thanks for how much he valued Stella's sacrifice; he wished he was able to reach out and hug her to show his appreciation. "Okay, Mr. Happy; that's enough sappy talk outta you" the young lady giggled, "just...go and practice your little parlor tricks for the big night." With that final statement, both friends saluted one another one last time before the chat finally went dead.

Once he closed his laptop shut, Lincoln then pulled out a small box; which contained his old magician's hat, cape, suit, gloves and wand. "Hmm...I think I'll keep the wand" he thought mentally, "but if I plan on wowing the crowd at the show, I'm gonna need something with a bit more...pizzazz." With that thought in mind, Lincoln left his room and made a beeline for Leni's; wishing to ask how well she could design a cloak in his size.

(Line Break)

A day or so later, Lincoln and a handful of his family were driving down to the Community Center; each one of them feeling eager to sign up. "I can't believe you're gonna go back on stage again, Lola" Lincoln said with pride, "I thought you'd never perform again after being away from the pageant circuit for so long." Lola smiled softly at her elder brother, expressing her own mild disbelief in coming back to the stage.

After having a few..."episodes" over the summer due to her old emotional imbalances in class, the former pageant princess feared she'd never go back to her old life again. But with the aid of her summer classes, she realized that the only reason she wanted to _be_ in pageants was to create her own identity and separate herself from her twin sister. Now, she still takes part in...one or maybe, two pageants per month.

But no matter if she won or lost at the end, Lola would choose to take part in them for the _fun;_ not for the attention, the "glory" or the superficial need to "feel beautiful." This same thing applied with talent shows as well. "I may have been out of the game for a while" she stated, "but it's just like riding a pony; when you fall off, you just get right back up on the saddle and ride!"

After hearing his sister speak so confidently, not only did Lincoln feel the urge to hug her; so did his parents and the rest of his sisters. "That's the Lola I know and love" he said proudly, "I only hope that _I'll _be just as confident as you, when I'm on stage." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln's mind was suddenly bombarded with all sorts of fearful thoughts.

What if he choked on the stage and forgot what to say, what if he dropped his smoke bombs and filled the whole building with a fog, what if he tripped over himself and worst of all; if he intended on doing the famous "sawing a person in half trick," what if he accidentally dropped the saw and it hit someone. Needless to say, the nervous expression on his face did not go unnoticed by his sisters. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Bro" Luna said with a smile, "just remember the phrase I use; 'don't fret, just play your set.'"

After taking a moment to let the words sink in properly, Lincoln let out a deep sigh and smiled at his elder sister. "Thanks for that, Luna" he murmured gratefully, "break a leg up on stage today." No sooner had he said this, Leni gave her brother a firm glare and demanded to know why he wanted his sister to get injured.

"Ugh...dear Sister, must we go through this every time one of us performs on stage" Lisa groaned, "the phrase 'break a leg' is not meant to be taken literally." From here, Luan tagged in and explained that it was theatre tradition for people to say "break a leg" to those who were going up on stage. "I've read many interesting theories regarding this tradition" Lisa interjected, "one such example involved slipping across the stage due to the drool stains left behind by fans (or 'groundlings' in the Shakespearean terms) who were awestruck by the entertainer's performance.

While the family felt the factoid was rather...interesting in some way; at the same time, they also felt it seemed...a little gross (except for Lana and Lucy, the latter added that there was also bits of blood left behind from stage fights during those times on the surface as well.) "MOVING ON...we don't want you all to feel pressured by this" Rita said suddenly, "just go up on stage and do your best." The Loud Kids smiled warmly at their mother and all the six who'd be performing thanked her for her support.

"What about me, hon" Lynn Sr. called out, "Kotaro and I will be doing a cowbell demonstration to a Mick Swagger song." While the idea _did_ seem appealing, the girls quickly reminded Lynn Sr. that Luna was already planning a Mick inspired performance. "Maybe try out another song instead, Dad" Lincoln suggested, "what about...Africa by Toto?"

Upon taking the suggestion to heart, Lynn scratched his chin and took his cowbell out from the glove compartment. Then, he turned on the radio (which just happened to be playing the aforementioned song.) With his instrument in hand, Lynn began to clang it in rhythm with the opening keyboard notes.

Next, he began to add a little singing to cowbell sounds as well; which soon prompted Rita to join in. Before long, the rest of the family found themselves singing along as well. By the halfway point, it was settled; Lynn and Kotaro would be playing together to Africa. "I gotta give K-Dog a call, see if he'll go along with it too" he said excitedly, "thanks for the suggestion, Son."

Lincoln smiled softly at his father's words and returned his thanks with a simple yet affectionate "you're welcome." Though he felt pleased to have been able to help his father, he was also thankful to have _something_ to get his own mind off of performing. _"Just...Just be cool, Linc"_ he murmured to himself, _"it's just like all those other times you performed your friends or the Casagrande Family...no reason to be nervous."_

After gulping down the nervous lump in his throat, Vanzilla came to a sudden stop; shaking Lincoln out of his train of thought. When he looked out the window, he saw that they had arrived in the Community Center Parking Lot. This caused his earlier anxieties to suddenly slither back through his body.

"We're here already" he asked confusedly, "I thought we wouldn't arrive for another fifteen minutes or so." Upon hearing him say this; Rita told Lincoln that normally, it _would _have taken that long to reach the center. "Lucky for us, your father found a shortcut five miles back" she stated, "which means we should have plenty of time to get ourselves signed up.

With that said, the doors slid or swung open and the Loud Family rushed out towards the main entrance...all but one. For what felt like ages, Lincoln appeared to be frozen in his seat; unsure if he should leave or lock himself in the van until the whole contest was over. However, the moment these thoughts came to mind; Lincoln thought of Luna's earlier words..."don't fret, just play your set."

"She's right, Linc" he firmly told himself, "you've been practicing since you first heard about the contest, there's no reason to be so nervous." With this in mind; he unbuckled himself, got out of the van and collected his gear from the back. Then, he regrouped with the rest of his family at the front entrance.

"Don't worry about making a mistake, sport" Lynn said while patting Lincoln's shoulder, "just go up on that stage and show them what you've got." Following her husband's lead, Rita echoed his earlier words while also reminding Lincoln to have fun. Afterwards, she gave him a quick hug and sent him inside towards the sign up desk.

"Thanks, everybody; I really appreciate the pep talk" Lincoln said over his shoulder, "break a leg you guys!" For a brief moment, Leni came dangerously close to repeating her earlier confusion towards the odd statement...until she saw her sisters shake their heads silently at her. _"I still think the phrase sounds weird"_ she thought, _"I mean...what if someone actually_ does _break a leg on stage, would that be considered good luck?"_

(Line Break)

After waiting in line for several minutes, Lincoln reached the sign up sheet and jotted down his name and talent. "Very good, Mr. Loud" said one of the judges politely, "we'll have the lineup posted on the bulletin board later on." Once that was settled, Lincoln then chose to spend the rest of the cool down time to walk about the center and take a look at some of the other contestants.

Almost immediately, he was able to spot many of his friends...as well as a few enemies/rivals as well. Standing by at the pool table was Biff Packard and his cronies, Vicky and the Mohawk Kid; whose name was actually revealed to be Mordecai on the sign up sheet. How did Lincoln come to learn this, you may be asking...it's because "Mordo" used a green pen to sign his name on the sign up sheet (which matched his green Mohawk.)

If Lincoln wasn't nervous about performing before, he certainly was now. While playing over at the pool table, Biff was carefully lining up to strike the "8 ball" into one of the west side pockets; namely the middle one. After several moments of focus, he drew back his cue stick slightly and gave the white ball a swift yet tender tap.

The ball went flying off to the side of the table and gently tapped up against the 8 Ball, sending it off towards the middle pocket. "YES! Another successful shot, Biffy" Vicky exclaimed, "want to find some sucker to be your opponent?" Though the idea of his leader humiliating someone did seem appealing, Mordecai quickly pointed out that any kids in the place were too focused on practicing for the talent competition.

"I don't know why these _drones_ even bother signing up" Biff said smugly, "the prize goes to whoever the judges think is best and that is where people like _me_ come in." While Mordecai and Vicky praised Biff on his confidence, Lincoln couldn't decide on whether he should feel disgusted or annoyed by it. "Don't worry about him, Linc" he told himself mentally, "just take some time to practice, doing a little magic always helps you relax."

After that; he placed a small box onto an empty table, opened it and brought out his magician's uniform. This time, however; his supplies came with a specially made hooded cloak (courtesy of Leni and Lola.) It was a deep midnight blue, it was covered in stars from the hem to the hood and it was quite soft to the touch.

"I think I should wear my usual magician's outfit under this" Lincoln muttered thoughtfully, "then, when my act begins; I'll make it vanish...somehow." It was here that he reminded himself of the small lessons in illusion magic Miss Grimwood taught him when she and her girls visited in October. Sure, he practiced these abilities along with his other tricks but the closest illusion he could do was what he called "Ninja Vanish."

That in itself was far less complicated than making a cloak vanish into thin air. "Why not start with something small, for now" he considered, "like...shuffling cards?" With this in mind, Lincoln reached into his travel case and brought out a small deck of cards from one of the small pockets.

Within moments, he began to shuffle and fold them in the trickiest ways he knew. For about five or six minutes; he practiced with his cards, completely oblivious to the few onlookers who were watching. When he finally _did_ caught sight of them, Lincoln let out a startled yelp and lost focus; causing all his cards to scatter about like leaves.

As he tried to snatch them back, either from up in the air or on the ground; his ears suddenly echoed from the sounds of mocking laughter. But this wasn't coming from the group of onlookers; instead, it was the familiar voices of Biff and Co. "Card tricks, Loud...really" the pre-teen jock said snidely, "do you really consider something like _that _to be a talent?"

While in the past, Lincoln had been known to try and stand up to whatever bullies he faced; this time, he chose to do the smart thing and ignore the jocks insults. But this didn't stop the trio from trying to get under his skin. "Are you really going to do card tricks for your performance, Loud" Vicky said rudely, "or are you planning on doing that underwear trick of yours?"

After hearing this; Lincoln, once again, lost his concentration and sent his cards flying every which way. This time; not only did the bully trio laugh, a few other kids and adults joined in as well. Of course, they only laughed because they presumed Lincoln's antics were all part of his act.

As a result, no one raised their voices at the bullies for distracting him. This left the young Loud boy alone to, once again recollect his cards from off the floor. Then, while he was in the midst of that; a soft voice called out from behind and said "I think you might've missed one."

Mildly startled, Lincoln turned around suddenly and spotted a young lady behind him. She looked about his age (or possibly a year younger,) had a cute button nose, slightly poofy hair, a blue jacket over her green t-shirt and child-sized jeans. "I think you're missing one of your cards, bub" she said with a light giggle, "better look down."

With a confused look plastered upon his face, Lincoln looked down and spotted the last of his playing cards...which was trapped underneath her left shoe. "Uh...heh, thanks for uh...catching my card" he chuckled nervously, "sorry you had to see me mess up back there...twice." At first, Lincoln expected the mystery girl to laugh at his expense.

But instead, he only heard Biff razzing him; proclaiming that Lincoln would make a better clown than a magician. "Well, at least he's got a better chance of winning than _you _do" the girl shot back, "what do _you _even plan on doing for the show...throwing your daddy's money at the audience?" For Biff, it was bad enough that the girl was "besmirching his honor" in front of his crew.

But when she added his father _and _his wealth into the mix, that fired him up something fierce! At first, he considered using his cue stick to beat the girl and Lincoln soundly. But with so many witnesses around, the young jock knew he wouldn't get away with it.

With all this in mind, he called for his "friends" to walk over to the snack table with him; thinking a drink would help calm his nerves a little. "Just you wait, twerps" Vicky hissed over her shoulder, "when we get up on that stage; at least, _one of us _is gonna smoke you!" Just as Lincoln was about to make a retort, the unknown girl took him gently by the shoulder and told him to let them go.

"Let him go, Lincoln" she said softly, "if you _really _wanna beat him, do it on stage; seeing him lose would be so much more rewarding." After taking a moment to consider the suggestion, Lincoln suddenly found himself agreeing with the stranger and thanked her for setting him straight. But then, he suddenly realized that she had addressed him by name and gawked at her confusedly.

_"How...How could she have known my name"_ he thought to himself, _"I've never seen this girl before in my..."_ Before he could finish his train of thought, Lincoln suddenly heard the mystery girl chuckling softly. At first, he presumed she was laughing at his confusion or simply having a delayed chuckle at his expense for his card mishap earlier.

Either way; with as much restraint he could muster, Lincoln demanded to be let in on whatever "joke" she was laughing about. "I'm...I-I'm sorry, my friend" the girl laughed softly, "it's just...even after all this time, you're still a silly lil' goose egg." Just as Lincoln was about to call the girl out on her nickname for him, she asked him to take another "_really hard_" look at her; hoping he'd realize who she was.

But after almost a minute of silence, the young Loud boy still appeared rather clueless. "You _really _don't recognize me, Lincoln" the girl prodded, "well...maybe _this_ will help refresh your memory." With that said, she walked over to her backpack and began fishing about for something.

The whole time she did, Lincoln wondered if the girl was going to look for some incriminating photos or maybe something to assault him with. But much to his surprise, she only withdrew two rather small items from her bag...a slip-on clown nose and a tiny yellow clown hat with polka dots. Afterwards, the girl then proceeded to put the hat atop her head and the nose upon her face.

When she turned around to face Lincoln again, she put on a sort of goofy, clownish smile while also adding a silly laugh to it. At the same time, she stood sideways while balancing on her left leg with her arms spread out. After taking a few seconds to analyze these traits, realization suddenly struck Lincoln like a dodgeball to the back of his head.

Within that same amount of time, Lincoln's mind began to envision some clothes on the mystery girl; specifically...some clown clothes. With all these elements combined, her true identity was now as clear as day to him. "What...no, i-it can't be" Lincoln muttered in disbelief, "Giggles...is that really you?"

Her identity now known to him, the young lady known as Giggles smiled softly and assumed a normal standing position; while also storing the hat and nose back in her bag. "Yup, it's lil' ol' me" she chuckled softly, "how have you been, Lincoln...it's been ages." For a moment or so, the young Loud boy didn't know how to respond; mostly because of a sudden sense of awkwardness that now overwhelmed him.

The last time he and Giggles saw one another, it was at the Royal Woods Elementary Sadie Hawkins Dance; an event where the _girls _would ask the _boys _to attend with them (instead of the other way around.) Looking back, it wasn't exactly one of Lincoln's best or proudest of moments. For one thing, he spent most of that afternoon trying to hide from Ronnie Anne; whom he assumed would want to ask him to the dance.

The other and perhaps, most embarrassing part of that moment came when four of his sisters (Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lucy) all forced him to attend the dance with friends of theirs. Originally; all Lincoln wanted to do, that day was go hit a special event down at Gus' Games n' Grub. But his sisters ganged up on him, claiming that Sadie Hawkins was "one of the biggest school events in a girl's life" and that a boy refusing to attend was an "offense" to them.

As a result, Lincoln had to juggle between _four_ separate dance dates (Haiku, Polly Pain, Tabby and of course, Giggles.) He felt he would have to do this _and_ keep himself out of sight from Ronnie Anne at the same time. In the end, the girls found out what he was doing and felt...mildly upset with him. But at the same time; they found _new_ dates to dance with in Rusty, Liam, Zach and Clyde.

Mere seconds later, Lincoln crossed paths with Ronnie Anne; where she revealed that the only reason she was searching for him was so she could ask him if he wanted to go to Gus' along with her. Much like Lincoln, she had no intention of attending an otherwise girly dance either. In the end; things turned out...pretty okay for him, that night.

But that was the last time he would ever see those four girls for sometime. Before their encounter at Gus', last year; Lincoln had only seen Haiku on one...maybe _two_ occasions (which tended to involve Lucy's poetry readings.) He _did_ see Polly Pain on his first day of Middle School and much to his surprise, things were cool between _them._

But as for Giggles and Tabby, he'd only seen the latter girl hang out with Luna on a few rare occasions; which led Lincoln to believe that there were still a few bridges left for Luna to mend. In the end, Giggles was the only one of the four he hadn't seen since that faithful night in Grade School. Thus, Lincoln didn't quite know how to speak to her.

In the end; all he could do was smile timidly, wave and offer up a soft "hello" in greeting. "Holy Cannoli, Lincoln; what's got you so nervous" Giggles asked with concern, "you look like you've seen a ghost...which I guess, would be like a dream come true for you. HA-HA!" Upon realizing that the joke was referencing his love for ghost hunting, Lincoln let out a soft yet nervous laugh.

Afterwards, he politely shook Giggles' hand and expressed how surprising it's been since they'd last seen one another. "Yeah, it's been ages; hasn't it" she asked, "how are things? Not wishing to bore her, Lincoln cut his story short by saying he'd been doing quite well the past year; aside from Biff hassling him every chance he gets.

"School's pretty fun, my friends and I are as tight as ever...and things are going very well within my family" he stated, "uh...just in case you were curious about the third thing." Giggles let out a soft giggle (no pun intended) and said she appreciated hearing such news from Lincoln. Ever since the "unfortunate events" that happened last Spring, she and Luan had seldom spoken to each other that often.

"I mean...she's still my friend, make no mistake" she confessed, "but I don't quite view her as my comedic idol as I once did." No sooner had she said this, the young comedienne revealed that she chose to give up clowning and to no longer use her old nickname any longer. "Ah, I see" Lincoln muttered softly, "but wait...if you're not called 'Giggles' anymore; then, what should I call you?"

Just as the girl was about to answer, one of the stage hands suddenly called out for someone named "Cori Barnum." "That's me, Ma'am; I'm Cori" the girl formerly known as Giggles announced, "I'll be right with you." Wasting no time, she walked over to the stage and began to discuss the nature of her act with the stage hand; leaving Lincoln alone to contemplate what he'd just heard.

_"Giggles' real name...is Cori, I never knew that"_ he thought to himself, _"hold up, did she say she's not doing clown stuff anymore?"_ This thought left Lincoln feeling both surprised yet somewhat pleased, at the same time. After everything Giggles (or rather, Cori) had told him; he was happy to hear that despite everything that's happened, she still wanted to remain friends with his elder sister.

But he also wondered what sort of talent Cori planned on showing off, if she gave up on her old passion. "Well, there's only one way to find out" he murmured, "I just hope she doesn't think I'm trying to snoop on her." After taking in a calming breath, Lincoln cautiously approached Cori/Giggles; who was just about done speaking with the stage hand.

"Hmm...I've seen a lot of comedy acts at this thing, over the years" she said with mild intrigue, "but what you're planning is...something I'm not entirely familiar with." This statement came as both a good thing _and _a bad thing for "Giggles," to say the least. But in spite of how nervous it made her feel, she said it was something she wished to experiment on since she left the clown game.

"Oh! So, my hunch _was_ right" Lincoln said as he arrived at the scene, "I'm happy to hear that you're still into comedy, Gig...I mean, Cori." At first, the young lady stared at him firmly; thinking that the Loud boy might've been trying to spy on her. But before she could say anything about that, the stage hand looked between the two children and asked if they were working as a duo.

"Us, a duo...I dunno" Giggles murmured with uncertainty, "I'm gonna need a moment to talk this over with him." The stage hand nodded in understanding and gave the kids a five minute time window to sort things out before returning to her other duties. Once the stage hand was far enough away, Giggles gave Lincoln a rather intense stare; which caused him to sweat a little.

"What's your deal, Mister" she prodded firmly, "are you planning on learning what my act is so you can sabotage me later or something?" Lincoln was, quite understandably, taken aback by this suggestion and he assured Giggles that he would _never _stoop to such levels...unless it was a form of payback or he was trying to help someone close to him. "Look, before anything else happens; I just really need to get something off my chest" Lincoln said firmly, "I...apologize."

For a moment, Giggles didn't know what to think; one part of her believed that him apologizing only proved her earlier speculations were correct. But on the other hand; Lincoln swore he'd never cheat unless certain circumstances would forced him into doing so; like defending a friend or getting payback on a rival (like Biff.) So, why then was he offering up an apology to her; if not for that?

"It's about what I did to you and the other girls at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, long ago" Lincoln explained, "I...I'm sorry I flip-flopped between the four of you and that I didn't tell you I was dancing/hanging with three other girls that night." Just as Lincoln was about to explain the matter further, Giggles raised her up to his face; suddenly silencing him. "Ya don't need to tell me the story, palsy-walsy" she assured, "I've heard all about it on TV...including how Luan and her sisters roped you into having four dates in the first place."

Lincoln couldn't help but slap his forehead slightly, upon hearing this; realizing that people like Giggles had learned all that they needed about Lincoln...less appealing moments from either the news or the trial testimonies. "Okay, you got me there" Lincoln chuckled softly, "but still, I should apologize for not being honest or open with you that night and...and if you still hate me for it, I understand." With that said, he turned around on his heels and made his way back to his magician kit.

As she watched him walk away, Giggles' heart ached a little; amazed by how much shame he still felt about the botched dance night. It was then that suddenly got an idea and made an immediate bee-line for Lincoln's spot. "Wait...Linc, wait" she called out, "Look...first off, I don't hate you; especially not after how much fun I had with your friend, Zach that night."

Hearing Giggles say all this filled Lincoln with a small glimmer of joy. But at the same time, the guilt inside still loomed over his head like a rain cloud. Then, Giggles added that the dance was one of the reasons why she and Luan hadn't spoken that often over the summer.

"It was bad enough that she and three of her other sisters forced you to go to a dance you didn't want to attend" she said firmly, "but the fact that that some silly protocol of theirs drove you to leave your own home was...inexcusable!" After making this statement, Giggles was left panting heavily with anger; which caused Lincoln to back away a couple of steps. When she saw the startled look on his face _and _realized how she was behaving, Giggles quickly calmed herself down.

"Anywhoozer, while she and the fam were busy working their service over the summer, it gave me the chance to...think about some things" she explained, "mainly about whether or not I should continue with doing comedy at all." Upon hearing this, Lincoln could sense that the tale was about to take a rather dark turn and prepared himself for anything unsavory. "I was about to give up on comedy completely" Giggles stated, "until my parents stopped me and suggested I tried something new."

With this simple statement, Lincoln's interests had been piqued and he asked what it was that Giggles' parents said. "Well, Dad told me that comedy came in all kinds of ways" she explained, "even though I wasn't much into clown comedy much anymore, he suggested other ones; like doing stand-up, slapstick humor or telling what he called 'Anti-Jokes.'" Upon hearing the third example, Lincoln felt a sudden sense of déjà vu wash over him.

When he confessed that he got Luan an "Anti-Joke Book" for Christmas, Giggles believed he must've had a "good eye for humor." "What about you" she asked, "what sort of skill do _you_ plan on showing off on the stage?" With a shy blush upon his cheeks, Lincoln opened up his box and revealed his magician's ensemble inside."

"Oh, yeah; Luan always said you were into magic tricks" Giggles exclaimed, "I think it's all fine and dandy...but mostly when it's performed by jesters at the Ren Faire." When Lincoln asked why she preferred _that_ kind over typical stage magic, she replied in saying that jesters always put a little humor into their mysticism.

"HEY! That just gave me an idea" Giggles said suddenly, "we should follow up on the stage hand's earlier assumption and work together as a duo." From here; she explained that with Lincoln's magic skills working alongside her jokes, they could leave the audience rolling. But Lincoln felt rather unsure of the idea, thinking that his magic wouldn't be as awe-inspiring as Giggles hoped.

"C'mon...you'll never know until you try" she urged softly, "if you do this for me, we are officially square on the Sadie Hawkins 'incident.'" At first, Lincoln felt that this was a form of emotional manipulation; something he'd been quite accustomed to around his sisters (on occasion.) But then, his sense of penitence got the better of him and he realized that helping her _would _make things right between them.

"Okay, Gig...I mean, Cori; you got yourself a deal" Lincoln said with a grin, "just tell me what you want me to do and I'll get it done!" Pleased with this response, Giggles was inches away from giving Lincoln a thank you handshake. But the instant she got close to him, he suddenly recoiled in alarm.

"Hey, what gives" Giggles asked, "what has you so spo...oh, right; it's okay...there's no buzzer this time." To prove that she wasn't lying, she showed the front and back of both her hands and even showed that she had nothing hidden in her sleeves either. After realizing he was safe from any pranks, Lincoln and Giggles/Cori sealed their deal with a quick handshake.

"Best go tell the stage hand the change in plans quick" the former clown stated, "be right back." As she walked off towards the stage, Lincoln found himself alone again; which gave him a moment to think about things. _"Okay, so...things might be on the mend between me and Giggles right now"_ he thought, _"but will she feel upset if I decide to cheer for someone she might actually be cross with...like Haiku?"_

Before such a thought could enter his mind, Lincoln quickly decided to direct his focus towards practicing his magic. "I gotta hone in my skills before we go on stage" he murmured, "I just...I hope mine and Giggles' combined talents will be able to wow the crowd."

(Line Break)

Time passed and eventually, the night of the big talent show arrived. The whole center was filled to near bursting with the town's citizens, some coming to perform and others choosing to watch. Among those in the former were musicians, poets, dancers, aspiring actors and one teen magician (Lincoln.)

As he took his place in line, he took a peek at the stage to see how the other performers were doing. There, he spotted Jordan and Paige; who were doing a sort of singing/dancing performance to a song called _"California Loco."_ They moved with such speed, grace and skill that it left several in the audience awestruck.

The next to come and perform was Lori, who showed of a few impressive trick shots with her golf club. Next came Flip and his own kind of "special talent," which was the ability to belch-sing the song "Ooh, Girl" by Boyz Will Be Boyz. As expected, the judges not only had him disqualified; the judges also gave him the hook.

"What kind of hook are they going to give him; a coat hook, a scarf hook, one for his pants" Leni asked in a soft whisper, "I'll happily give him one of mine." Rather than explain it to her (albeit begrudgingly,) Rita gestured towards the stage; where everyone could see a golden hook reach towards Flip from stage left. The aforementioned item snagged him by the back of his shirt collar and after one good yank, Flip went flying off the stage.

This caused the crowd to cheer loudly, mostly out of relief that the belching was over. "Okay now, folks; time for our next performer" announced the emcee, "here comes Biff Packard and his...hair styling tricks." This announcement created a mixed reaction from both the audience _and_ the other contestants.

Lincoln was especially aghast by this announcement, wondering how combing or styling one's hair could be dubbed a "talent." That was when Biff took to the stage with his metal hair comb. "Could I have a little music, please" he asked suddenly, "it helps me focus properly."

Seconds later, Mordecai/Mohawk Kid pulled out his phone and played a vibrant techno song from his playlist. Once the music kicked in, Biff immediately went to work. He flicked, sliced, slid, swiped and spun his comb every which way against his hair...and not once did it get stuck. As the song slowly came to its final notes, Biff threw the comb into the air; where it seemed to flip around in slow motion.

Once the song ended, Biff struck a pose and the comb fell neatly into his pocket. With his "performance" now over, a scattered applause could be heard from the crowd. But surprisingly; a handful of people in the room (albeit a small one) found the whole thing entertaining enough to erupt in thunderous applause.

This lot consisted of Vicky, Mordecai/Mohawk Kid, Biff's parents...and much to Lincoln's surprise, Carol and Whitney. _"What the hey...how could they possibly think_ that _was entertaining"_ Lincoln thought in disbelief, _"I am going to have a long talk with her about this."_ The very instant this came into mind, he quickly saw some of the other Gal Pals looking squarely at the two blonde teens.

When he saw the stern expressions on their faces, Lincoln could tell that _they _were just as surprised/bothered about their cheering as he was. Meanwhile, Biff felt mildly disappointed at the light applause his performance received and proceeded off the stage. As he started passing the line-up of other competitors, he could hear some of them laughing softly at his expense.

"Hey, losers" he said with an annoyed tone, "if you've got something to say, stop cackling like hyenas and say it to my face!" At first, no one chose to speak up; either because they were still laughing, they were ignoring Biff or they (somehow) felt intimidated by his tone. Then, after a while; Giggles smiled at him and proclaimed that primping wasn't a real talent.

"If you came on stage tossing a football around or did a few basketball tricks, _that _would've been impressive" she stated, "but instead, you chose to fix your hair...woo-whoo, extra whoo." Infuriated by her critiques, Biff proclaimed that what he did _was_ a talent; adding that it took skill to look as "handsome" as he does. "Skill...sure, I hear ya" Lincoln muttered, "but if you ask me, you should save that 'skill' where it matters; like in class."

This jab caused Giggles and almost everyone else in line to chuckle loudly, which did _not _please Biff in the slightest. "Well then, Loud; let's see how well _you _do on stage" he growled, "FYI, there aren't any trap doors on stage for you to 'disappear' through; when you do your little magic show." Just as Lincoln was about to get up into his rival's face, Giggles gently grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.

"Like I said earlier, Linc; don't let Biff the Blowhard get under your skin" she said encouragingly, "why not listen to some music to calm your nerves?" Upon hearing the suggestion, Lincoln turned towards the stage eagerly; thinking that Luna would be the next one to perform. But instead; it was the entire Junior Morticians Club (save for Bertrand, whom Haiku revealed had moved away during the summer after his father got a job as a cruise lifeguard.)

At first, when he saw them; Lincoln presumed they would be singing a grim and/or edgy Gothic melody. But what he heard instead was something softer and dare he say, hauntingly pleasant. Upon inspection, he saw that the tall boy (Boris) was playing his trusty electric keyboard.

Meanwhile; Dante and Morpheus played a pair of mandolins, Persephone (the eldest of the girls) struck a tambourine against her free hand or hip, Lucy played a flute and Haiku played on a small set of bagpipes. Now, seeing the group of Goths playing such instruments was surprising in itself. But what happened next blew _him _and the audience away almost instantly.

After playing a couple of notes on her pipes, Haiku took the mic and began to sing in a soft yet lovely voice.

_Oh, I once had a true love that I'd call my own_

_Now, he's gone and left me and I'm all alone_

_He's gone and left me, contented must be_

_He loves another far better than me_

_And it's_

(All)

_Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew_

_Sorry am I, love; I'm parted with you_

_Sorry am I, love; contented must be_

_He/She loves another far better than me_

(music break)

(Lucy)

_Oh, I passed by his window both fairly and late_

_The look that he gave me, it did my heart break_

_The look that he gave me would ten-thousand kill_

_He's found a new love...but I love him still_

_And it's_

(All)

_Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew_

_Sorry am I, love; I'm parted with you_

_Sorry am I, love; contented must be_

_He/She loves another far better than me_

(music break)

(Haiku)

_I wrote him a letter in grand rosy lines_

_But he sent back his answer all twisted and twined_

_Saying "keep your love letters, you're wasting your time; you write to your love and I will write mine."_

_And it's_

(All)

_Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew_

_Sorry am I, love; I'm parted with you_

_Sorry am I, love; contented must be_

_He/She loves another far better than me_

(music break)

(Haiku)

_Now, I oft times do wonder why women love men_

_And I also do wonder why _they _love _them.

_For women are faithful and kind, don't you know_

_But men are deceivers wherever they go_

_And it's_

(All)

_Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew_

_Sorry am I, love; I'm parted with you_

_Sorry am I, love; contented must be_

_He/She loves another far better than me_

(music break)

(Haiku + Lucy)

_Oh, I once had a true love that I'd call my own_

_Now, he's gone and left me and I'm all alone_

_He's gone and left me, contented must be_

_He loves another far better than me_

_And it's_

(All)

_Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew_

_Sorry am I, love; I'm parted with you_

_Sorry am I, love; contented must be_

_He/She loves another far better than me_

(the final notes play and the song ends)

As the Morticians Club finished their performance, the entire room echoed with the sounds of wild sobbing and crying. All around them, the young Goths could see almost the entire crowd wailing with emotion; even the other performers found themselves moved. "That...That was so b-b-beautiful" Lincoln muttered while wiping a few tears away, "I mean...I heard Haiku sing before but I never thought _Lucy_ had such a voice on her as well."

Once everyone had had a good cry, a minute later; they swiftly erupted into thunderous applause. While it may not seem like it on the surface, the young Goths felt surprised yet slightly pleased by this response and bowed accordingly before walking off the stage. "Wow...they were great" Lincoln said in an awestruck whisper, "I really hope _we _do just as well up there, when our time comes."

As the cheering continued, the Morticians Club exited stage right and headed off towards a collection of chairs that were seated at the wall; eager to get off their feet. But before they did, Lincoln softly called out to them and congratulated the group on their performance. "I was especially blown away by you two" he said while gesturing at Haiku and Lucy, "I mean...I heard _you _sing at the Faire last August, Haiku but I never thought _Lucy _could sing so well."

Both of the young Goth Girls giggled softly at him and Lucy responded to her brother's compliments with "you never asked me if I could sing before...so, I wanted to surprise you." Lincoln smiled broadly at the comment and said that the plan worked like a charm. "What I don't understand is...even though the lyrics of the song you performed _were _somber, it didn't really sound like Goth kind of music" he stated, "how or where did you come up with it?"

Almost immediately, the other four members of the group gestured towards Haiku, proclaiming that _she_ was the one who made the song choice. "Guilty as charged" she murmured with a light blush, "I...it was a very special song that my Nana's friend, Leslie Haggard once sang to me when I was little." Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly remembered Miss Haggard from the Faire and also recalled how beautifully she sounded while singing with the rest of her troupe.

"Back then; some of the stage shows, like the fire-eaters or sword-swallowers, used to freak me out a little...I know, it sounds weird to hear me say that" Haiku explained, "but Leslie's song always helped relaxed me...even though it involved a sad subject." This reveal surprised everyone in line, mainly because few of them believed a sad song could leave a positive impact on the listener. "Anyway; we'll be watching you from the sidelines, Lincoln" Lucy murmured with a smile, "break a leg out there."

Just before they went off, he thanked both girls for their support and gave each of them a quick hug. The next one who came to the stage was Lynn Sr. and Kotaro, who decided to take up Lincoln's suggestion and played their cowbells to Africa by Toto. As the opening synthesized keyboard notes played, they clanged their bells in unison to them.

Then, when the vocals kicked in; they each took turns singing the first few verses. When the moment of the chorus came up; the spotlight turned on and revealed a third member of the act, Chester "Chunk" Monk. _"Whoa, I didn't know Luna's friend/roadie would be competing too"_ Lincoln thought in surprise, _"I hope he doesn't hold it against her, if Luna beats him."_

(Line Break)

Almost an hour and a half later and many acts came and went off the stage. Some showed off some rather impressive skills, like Lori and Carol's golfing talents (with the latter showing off a unique trick shot during _her_ performance.) Other performers, like Lola, showed off more simple yet elegant abilities; like her ribbon dancing. Then, when Kat took to the stage; she showed everyone a D.I.Y. creation for hiking purposes.

When the emcee asked where she got the idea, Kat revealed it was none other than Rip Hardcore. "I mean...I may not go out into the woods that much, I hate the idea of all those leaves getting in my hair" she stated, "but with Rip's tips, I'll always be prepared." With that said, she offered up a gracious bow and the crowd started to cheer.

From the sidelines, Lincoln couldn't help but feel proud for his friend..._all_ of his friends. But at the same time, he also felt anxious; wondering if his and Giggles' routine will do just as well. As if Fate had sensed these thoughts, the stage hand immediately called them to the stage steps.

"Okay, Lincoln; this is it" Giggles whispered, "are you ready to wow the crowd?" At first, Lincoln felt hesitant to answer due to the mild sense of fear flowing through him. But after taking a moment to mentally repeat Luna's manta of "don't fret, just play your set" in his head; he was ready.

"Time to officially put my magician skills to the test" he thought to himself, "I hope this will work." With this thought in mind, Lincoln and Giggles soon took to the stage just as the spotlight turned on. Almost instantly, the crowd welcomed them with a respectable yet still enthusiastic applause.

The most notable clappers Lincoln saw were both his family and of course, the Gal Pals (with Carol and Whitney putting on an extra oomph to their clapping.) Though he still appreciated it, Lincoln's mind couldn't help but think that they were being...a tad overkill. In time, the applause died down and the whole room went silent.

After greeting everyone with a bow, the duo introduced themselves as a combination comedy/magic act. "Magic...feh, I've seen enough parlor tricks to last me a lifetime" Mr. Grouse exclaimed from within the crowd, "what do ya plan on doin', Loud; pull a rabbit out of a hat or somethin'?" While this statement wasn't...completely said out of spite towards the boy, it was enough to make the likes of Biff and his cronies snicker mockingly.

But rather than let either one of these circumstances bother him, Lincoln simply ignored them. "Not a chance, Sir; I've got much better ideas in mind" he proclaimed, "like...pulling a _hat_ out of a _rabbit,_ instead." Upon making certain they heard him correctly, everyone in the audience responded to this idea with either disgusted whispers or mild cries of outrage.

Sensing that he got their attention, Lincoln decided to bring out his "volunteer" for the aforementioned trick. At first, everyone fearfully expected him to bring out a _real_ rabbit. But instead; he walked over to his box, fished about for a moment and brought out a tiny stuffed bunny instead.

To the eyes of the Louds _and_ Lincoln's friends (male and female;) they recognized this as Bun-Bun, the boy's favorite stuffed toy. At the same time, they wondered just _how _he planned on doing his little trick. "As I said...I'm gonna shake things up by pulling a hat out of this rabbit, instead of the other way around" Lincoln explained, "don't worry, the entire process is quick and painless."

Though the audience was well-aware that the boy's "volunteer" was only a toy, they still wondered where he intended to "pull out" the hat. As if sensing their anticipation/anxiety, Lincoln sat Bun-Bun on his left hand and with his right; he reached over and neatly...pulled a tiny clown hat out of the doll's right ear. Afterwards, Lincoln gave the hat a toss and it landed squarely atop Giggles' head.

Meanwhile, many in the audience stared aghast at the young magician; feeling rather impressed by his trick. But there were some who had rather uncomfortable looks on their faces as well. "What, did you all seriously think I'd pull a hat out of a real rabbit" he asked in a shocked tone, "for shame, there are children here."

Soon after he said this, several people in the audience suddenly started laughing. This prompted Giggles to playfully tell Lincoln to "leave the comedy to the professionals." "How about _this _for a laugh" she asked, "can anyone tell me what a bar of soap and one's dreams have in common...they're both rather easy to slip away from you, if you don't hold on to them."

This small joke caused the crowd to groan softly, seconds later. But it wasn't one of annoyance or disgust; it was the sort of sound someone makes when they hear something so bad, it's good. "Ooh! Are we telling Dad Jokes tonight, Giggles" Lincoln asked excitedly, "I've got one for ya...did you all hear the story about the man who invented the knock-knock joke?"

For a moment or two, no one replied back; which meant that they might not have known the answer. This gave Giggles the chance to finish it off by proclaiming "he won the 'No Bell Prize!'" Upon saying the punchline; Lincoln reached into his hood, drew out a small golden bell and started waving it around.

Upon taking all this in; once again, some members of the audience groaned a little. But at the same time, the duo could also hear sounds of uproarious laughter from everyone else. Not wishing to waste this opportunity, Giggles went on to present her next joke. "You know; my uncle always hated science class, when he was my age" she explained, "one day, I asked why he felt this way and he told me...'I just don't trust atoms, they make up everything.'"

Surprisingly enough, this joke made even Lisa break out in laughter. "It...It's funny because it's true" she cried breathlessly, "atoms, quite literally make up everything!" For her next joke, Giggles told _another_ story about her uncle.

"He once told my dad how amazed he was at the amount of nudist beaches one could find on the West Coast" she stated, "my dad asks "would you ever go to one' and my uncle replied 'maybe...but I don't know how to get the wrinkles outta my birthday suit.'" While the topic of the joke seemed...mildly risqué, the crowd couldn't help but laugh. "OMG, these...these jokes are so lame" Lori laughed from backstage, "but those two make them work, somehow!"

As the crowd continued laughing, Biff suddenly grew anxious; fearing that Lincoln and Giggles might have a chance at victory. Feeling desperate, he quickly tried to distract the crowd by calling out the duo's "lackluster" performance. "You're comedy is...passable, at best" he murmured, "but you two _also_ promised us some magic and no, that earlier trick with the bunny doesn't count."

While no one appreciated the tone that Biff used, they still couldn't help but agree with him. At the same time, Lincoln did everything he could to calm his nerves enough so he could perform. "Okay, you all want to see some real magic" he asked, "then here we go."

After this, he walked over to his magic box and collected something from inside, a small bottle. Then, Lincoln suddenly downed its contents in less than eight seconds. At first, everyone thought he was simply taking a water break but Giggles urged them to be patient.

Then, all of a sudden; everyone could hear a loud, guttural rumbling from somewhere. At the same time, they saw Lincoln clutching at his stomach; as if he was having stomach problems. Almost immediately; this sight caused Rita, Lori and Carol to almost leave their seats and rush to his aid.

But before they could move even the slightest inch, Lincoln opened his mouth and belched out a large plume of fire; surprising the audience. When the flame effect started to wear off; Lincoln took a small candle in his hand and blew the last sparks of flame on the tip, lighting it instantly. "What do you think, ladies and gentlemen" Lincoln inquired, "was that magical enough...or would you like more?"

In response to this, some members of the crowd roared with cheers while others chanted the word "MORE! MORE! MORE!" With a proud smile on his face; Lincoln took the empty bottle he drank from earlier, tossed it into the air and shouted the words "_UNEXPECTO AMPHIBIOSIS!_" Mere seconds later, bolts of green lightning shot out from his hands and struck the bottle; instantly transforming it into a frog.

It hopped about the stage for a few seconds, offering up the occasional croak before it leapt up into Lincoln's hands. After that, the young magician snapped his fingers and the frog reverted back to its bottle form. To say that the crowd was astounded by this would be a gross understatement...that is, _most_ of the audience was.

Meanwhile, Biff and his crew remained unimpressed by the performance...but it was mostly out of jealousy. "That's as fake as a three dollar bill, Loud" Mordecai jeered, "we _know_ you used mirrors, flash bombs...or something for that trick!" In response to this, Giggles simply dismissed the "complaints" as nothing more than the trio being immature.

"That actually reminds me of a funny story" she stated, "for years, my neighbor kept telling her husband that he always acted immature." Feeling curious, both Lincoln _and _the crowd asked how the husband responded to this. "It was rather simple, really" Giggles stated, "he just told her to get out of his pillow fort."

While this joke didn't quite pack that big of a punch, the crowd just couldn't help but laugh. This inspired Lincoln to make his own joke about someone close to him. "Okay, people; time to get serious for a minute" he said firmly, "you know...all this laughing reminds me of something my Pop-Pop once told me before he kicked the bucket."

The crowd gasped in shock at this sudden change of topic, while the Louds simply looked at one another in confusion; proclaiming that Pop-Pop was sitting directly behind them. Meanwhile; Giggles, who was still keeping up her stoic look, asked for Lincoln to continue.

"Do you really wanna know" he asked, earning a nod from everyone; "alrighty, he looked over to me and he said...'HEYA, SPORT; how far do ya think I can kick this bucket?" To really drive his joke home, Lincoln pulled his hood over his face and when he drew it back; he was wearing a nose and mustache that was near identical to Pop-Pop's own. He then proceeded to lightly kick a bucket across the stage, where it gently rolled off to a nearby corner.

The crowd suddenly burst out into a mad fit of laughter, some of whom were practically rolling about on the floor while holding their sides. Among them laughing was none other than Albert Loud himself, who claimed that his grandson's impression was "spot on." "Let me tell one next" Giggles stated, "did you guys ever hear the joke about paper...no? That's fine, it's _tearable._"

Not only did this joke seem to make the audience laugh, it also caused Mordecai to crack a smile; which Biff swiftly scolded him for it. "That was a good one, Giggles" Lincoln stated, "I'd tell a little joke about lasagna that my dad once told me...but it's far too cheesy for this crowd and the punchline's too saucy too." Now, most people would hate being zinged during a comedic performance.

But not only was the joke rather tasteful (no pun intended,) even with the "flirty" use of the word "saucy" but Lynn Sr. actually rather liked it. "Here's one for all the animal lovers out there" Giggles announced, "what do you call an elephant that doesn't matter...an _IRRELEPHANT!" _The crowd groaned softly at the little joke but from the tone in their voices, it was like a sort of "so bad...it's good" sort of sound. "This next one goes out to my folks" Giggles exclaimed, "growing up, they'd tried to get me to eat Alphabet Soup but I never enjoyed it. When they asked me why, I told them it was because they kept putting words in my mouth!"

This joke not only made Giggles' parents laugh, the audience seemed to like it as well; especially the little kids. For the next joke, Lincoln asked if anyone would want to hear about the time Lynn hit a pop fly ball on the baseball field. But almost immediately, he told the audience "nevermind...it would probably go over your heads."

Now was the time for Lynn Jr. to be the one laughing like mad, which was something she thought wouldn't happen that night. "Okay, Linc; since you've done two jokes on your family...I'm doing one on _you _next" she said coyly, "what do you call a wizard from space with wings...a Flying Sorcerer!" The mere instant she said this, Lincoln tapped his wand upon his head and he was suddenly enveloped by a plume of smoke.

When it cleared away a second later, he was sporting pair of alien antennae atop his head and a pair of long angel wings upon his back; which he used to do a quick flying lap over the heads of the audience. Naturally, this sight left the majority speechless; while the bully trio simply glowered at him. When he finally landed, Giggles asked Lincoln if he heard about an interesting story regarding his sister, Lucy lately.

"Yeah, I think I did" Lincoln said with a half-lie tone, "from what I heard, she snuck out of the house to go camping in the cemetery while Miss Simmons was babysitting us." Just like with the joke about Pop-Pop, the Loud Siblings felt confused by their brother's words. But when they realized that he might be leading up to another punchline, the girls quickly fell silent.

"When she found out Lucy got out, Miss Simmons immediately put out a call to her partners" Lincoln explained, "she took out her walkie-talkie and said to them 'ladies, keep an eye out for a small medium at large!'" At first, there were a small few that didn't quite get the joke...until Lucy explained her history of serving as the family's medium. With this revelation, the crowd fell into another fit of laughter.

The more they listened to all this noise, the more worried Biff and his associates became. It was here that they decided to make a few (rather belated) jabs at Lincoln's earlier magic tricks. "Cheap smoke n' mirrors and laughs, nothing more" Vicky grumbled, "if you really wanna win, do something to utterly wow us!"

For the umpteenth time that night, Lincoln listened to their jeers and before this point; he chose to ignore them. But now, he felt it was time for the big finish. "For my last trick, I'd like a volunteer from the audience" Lincoln announced, "and I've just found _three_ good candidates right over there."

After saying this; Lincoln snapped his fingers and the spotlight suddenly shined down upon Biff, Vicky and Mordecai. Surprised by this, the trio insisted that they "didn't feel comfortable" with going up on stage but the audience wasn't buying it. "Go on up and join the fun, Biffy" Lynn Jr. said while pushing the trio over, "this could give you a bit more applause than your botched care combing tricks."

Before the young jock had the chance to "defend the honor" of his hair styling methods, he and his friends were carried up to the stage. "Welcome to the stage, guys" Lincoln greeted respectfully, "are you ready for the grand finale?" Deep down, Biff and his cohorts wanted nothing more than to tell him off right then and there.

But because everyone's eyes were all on them, they had no choice but to agree. "Back before this event began, Mr. Packard; you told me that my tricks weren't all that impressive...remember" Lincoln asked firmly, "well...get ready to see a special trick I've been saving for just the right moment." As expected, this statement made the trio feel rather anxious (with Mordecai being the most nervous among them.)

"W-W-What are you gonna do to us, Loud" he asked, "are you gonna saw us in half, turn us into toads, stick us in a box and shove swords into it?!" After hearing his third example, Vicky slapped Mordecai in the back of the head; warning him to not give Loud any ideas. "No, I would never do stuff like that to you guys" Lincoln assured, "this is a quick yet harmless trick, I promise you."

After saying this, he turned towards the audience and asked them to remain perfectly silent. Then, he faced Giggles and asked if she could help him with the magic words. "I...I'm more of a comedy gal myself" she confessed, "but if it's part of the act, I guess I'll help."

With that, they both faced the trio and Lincoln asked Giggles to repeat two simple words with him; _"Transfera Identica." _For what felt like ages, they chanted these odd words while the trio remained standing in place. Then, after showing the words one final time; the whole stage was surrounded in a cloud of purple smoke.

When it later cleared away, everyone appeared to be in one piece; including Biff, Vicky and Mordecai. "That's it...a puff of red smoke, _that's_ your big finale" the jock cried in outrage, "talk about not living up to the hype!" As Vicky and Mordecai began voicing their own complaints, they slowly started to realize that something felt...a little off.

"What the...what's goin' on here" murmured the punk rock bully, "why does my head suddenly feel heavier?" Soon after this, Vicky also noticed something felt odd with their situation. That's when each of them took a look at their bodies and everything finally clicked.

"What the what" she murmured confusedly, "what am I doing wearing Biff's jacket...and his...VOICE?!" Upon making the last statement, Vicky started running her hands around her body; only to realize that she was no longer _in _her own body anymore. At the same time, the other two soon reached the same conclusion; with Mordecai's mind being in Vicky's body and Biff's mind being inside of Mordecai's body.

With this revelation in mind, the Trio responded in the one way they thought was most appropriate...by screaming in terror! Meanwhile, the audience was utterly enchanted by this display and proceeded to cheer loudly for Lincoln. "What the...DON'T CHEER HIM, YOU IDIOTS" Biff shouted irritably, "thanks to his witchcraft, we're stuck like this forever!"

Upon hearing this, Lincoln smiled at Biff and assured him that the effect of his trick wasn't permanent. "According to Miss Grimwood, the spell should only last for about three days" he stated, "by the end of the third day, you'll all be back in your bodies again." While this news gave the trio _some_ relief, Vicky questioned why he couldn't just change them back like he did with his frog/bottle trick.

"_That_ kind of trick was a simple one to reverse...mainly because the item in question was small" Lincoln replied, "but since you guys are humans, the reversal process requires a more complex spell; one Miss Grimwood hadn't had the chance to teach me before she left town." With this all in mind, Biff and his colleagues knew they were licked. While the spell's effects weren't permanent, as Lincoln said; each one of them agreed to hold themselves up in their houses until it wore off.

As for each of the bullies' respective families; while they felt a little put off by what happened, at first. They later realized that this would be a good "teaching exercise" for them, show them what it's like to walk a mile in someone else's shoes (quite literally.) With that settled, the bully trio walked off the stage and to their seats; while the rest of the audience cheered loudly for Giggles and Lincoln.

(Line Break)

When the time came to give out the awards, sometime later; the emcee revealed that each award was divided up into separate categories. The first award was given to Kat for "Most Creative Talent." The next award was given for Most Impressive Show of Skill, which both Carol and Lori tied for.

The next award was given for Best Musical Performance and while each group involved in said category gave it their all; in the end, it was the Junior Morticians Club and their rendition of Green Grows the Laurel that received the ribbon. Surprisingly, the whole group agreed that Haiku should be the one to have it; since singing the song was _her_ idea. "Wow, you guys...thanks" the wee Goth murmured with a soft smile, "and thanks for going along with my idea."

Lucy and the other club members smiled down at Haiku and told her that while they weren't used to such a style of music, they actually found it alluring. "If you dudes like that, I can give you some ideas of similar music styles to listen to" Luna interjected suddenly, "but...we'll do that after the ceremony is done." After that was said, everyone waited for the next winner to be announced.

However, before that; it was time for the emcee and the judges to award what they called "participant stickers" to some contestants. While not a typical award, those in charge felt that these stickers were their way of showing that everyone was a winner. Normally, most people would consider this a nice gesture.

Of course, these stickers were only given out to two other performers; Biff and Flip. "Whoa! That's a pretty cool sticker you got, Biffy" Mordecai said in awe while in Vicky's body, "you think I could get one?" After hearing him say this, the young jock wanted nothing more than to pulverize his "friend" for his stupidity.

But Vicky begged him to not harm a hair on her body's head...not until the spell wore off. As the trio began to bicker amongst themselves, the emcee announced that the winner of the next award was...Giggles and Lincoln. "This award is not only for Best Duo Performance" she explained, "but it's also for Best Comedic Performance and you two really had us rolling!"

In response to this, the crowd laughed heartily both out of pride and from being reminded of the duo's earlier antics. Afterwards, the emcee placed the winning ribbons upon both children's chests. "This is awesome" Lincoln said with pride, "I'm gonna put this ribbon up beside my golf victory photo."

Upon hearing him say this, Giggles looked at him in confusion and asked when he ever started golfing. "No, no; you misunderstood me, Giggles" he cried, "this was _mini golf,_ not the original game; me and a few of my friends won the final hole at Hole-in-Onederland during Spring Break, last year." Giggles stared at him silently, as if unsure of what to say.

Meanwhile, Lincoln offered up a soft giggle and proclaimed that the past year had been busy for him. "I'd be happy to tell you all about it" he offered, "but first...are we square now?" For a brief moment, Giggles wondered what he was talking about...until she remembered their first conversation from days ago.

With this in mind; she reached into her pocket, pulled out her clown nose and slipped it on over Lincoln's. "Win or lose, Linc; I'd still forgive ya" Giggles assured, "all that mattered, in the end was that I got to try out my new act...and it was a success." With that settled; Giggles, once again proclaimed that there was no bad blood between them.

Then, at that moment; Lincoln was suddenly ambushed from behind by a gaggle of ladies (whom Giggles immediately recognized as his sisters.) "Congrats on the win, Bro" Lynn Jr. said with pride, "you and Giggles killed it up there!" After being hugged from all sides, Lincoln took a moment to breathe and introduced his stage partner by her true name; Cori.

"It's short for Coriander" the young comedienne revealed, "you know, like the spice?" Lincoln suddenly felt a chuckle escape his throat, upon hearing this. But he told everyone that it was mostly because he never heard of the name Coriander being used for a person, let alone a girl.

"It was my Dad's idea" Giggles said with a light eye roll, "_he's_ the one I get my love of comedy from...and he thought Coriander would be a great name for an aspiring comic." After letting all this sink in, Luan told her that this was her first time hearing this information. "Well, Lu-Lu; I would've told ya a long time ago" Giggles replied, "but...you never asked."

After this was said; Mr. Coconuts popped up and instantly proclaimed "she's got ya there, toots" in Luan's direction. This caused both comediennes to giggles softly at each other, which Lincoln took as a good sign. But before he could think much on it; the Gal Pals arrived and, for the second time that night, Lincoln found himself being squeezed on all sides.

"Way to go, Lincoln; congrats on the win" Stella cried with delight, "you're the first magician _ever_ to make my jaw drop." Not long after this, both Clyde and Zach shared their own praises as well; while also urging him not to use such tricks on _them _anytime soon. No sooner had they said this, Haiku and Lucy appeared and each offered up one simple statement to Lincoln; "how did you do all that and teach it to us now."

In response to this, he offered up the famous "a true magician never reveals their secrets" quote; which caused both Goth girls to sigh in defeat. "I say we celebrate each of our kids' victories down at Lynn's Table" Rita announced, "on the house." Naturally, everyone responded to this with a hearty cheer.

But before they decided to follow up on the idea, Lincoln quickly called for everyone's attention. "First of all, I'm happy that you all liked mine and Giggles' performance" Lincoln said gratefully, "it means a lot that you chose to support us...to support _me _even, despite the fact that...some of you might not be that into magic." Both groups sounded off sweetly to Lincoln's words, proclaiming that they'd do anything to help and support a friend/member of the family.

"Now...as for the second matter, I'd like to ask Carol and Whitney one thing" he said sternly, "what gives...why were you two cheering for Biff, of all people?!" While expressing his thanks to them for still showing their support towards his and Giggles/Cori's act earlier, it still didn't excuse them from cheering his schoolyard rival. "We're just as shocked as you, dude" Cici said matter-of-factly, "and we hope these two have a good explanation."

After a brief period of silence; both teens hung their heads in shame, got down on their knees and hugged Lincoln closely. "We are totes sorry for what we did, Linky" Carol murmured, "it was...it was a moment of weakness." Following this, she and Whitney reminded everyone how hard of a time they have when it came to managing their hair.

Thus, when they saw Biff combing his own thick locks so cleanly and effortlessly; they couldn't help but be amazed. "Again, we are super sorry we did that" Whitney insisted, "can you ever forgive us?" At first, they expected him to offer up an immediate response; either with a hug or a verbal statement.

But much to their surprise, he stood with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in disappointment. Then, Giggles approached him from behind and whispered something into his ear. "Oh, that is a great idea" Lincoln murmured with approval, "quick, yet effective."

This statement caused both girls, the other Gal Pals _and_ the Louds to look at Lincoln nervously; wondering what sort of idea he had in mind. Then, at that moment; he clasped his hands together and started rubbing them against each other for several seconds. When he finally stopped; Lincoln clenched his left hand into a fist and stuck the fingers of his right hand inside.

Then, with one quick tug; a pair of flowers suddenly appeared before the girls' eyes. With a smile on his face, Lincoln handed both flowers to Carol and Whitney; who both thought it was a very sweet gesture. "Oh! I forgot to tell you girls one of the golden rules of magic" Lincoln said suddenly, "and that is...nothing is what it seems."

No sooner had he said this; Lincoln snapped his fingers and then, the flowers in Carol and Whitney's hands suddenly sprayed them with a quick blast of water. Five seconds later, it stopped and both teens were left dripping wet. This caused the Louds, the Gal Pals, the boys and Giggles/Cori to all burst out with laughter.

For a moment or two, both girls appeared rather bothered by what just happened. Then; Lincoln walked over to them, pulled out a string of silk scarves from his sleeve and offered them to the girls. "So sorry I had to do that to ya, girls" he said while helping dry them off, "but I hope this makes us even."

For a moment, neither Carol nor Whitney responded; perhaps, feeling upset by Lincoln's payback trick. But when they realized that they brought it upon themselves for cheering a bully, they smiled at him and enveloped their ward in a loving hug. With that settled, everyone collected their things and proceeded out the door; eager to head off to Lynn's Table for a victory celebration.

"Would you like to join us, young lady" Rita offered to Giggles, "after all, this celebration is for _you _as well." While the idea _did_ sound inviting, Giggles confessed that she didn't want to but in on any fun Lincoln and his friends might have. "But don't you see, little missy; you're also one of Linc's friends" Becky stated, "and that makes you _our _friend as well."

This declaration prompted the other Gals to cheer loudly in agreement, while Giggles simply blushed timidly. "Okay...we may be cool about our past 'issues'" she stated, "but I wouldn't say Lincoln and I are friends...at least, not yet." After taking all this information to heart, Lincoln got an idea and he hoped that Giggles/Cori would agree to it.

"You're right, we aren't really friends yet" he began, "but since we're kinda square over the...the Sadie Hawkins thing, maybe...maybe we can...start over?" For what felt like ages, no one had spoken a word; the chatter of the other families and contestants being the only other sounds heard. Then, Giggles marched over to Lincoln and smiled; not a clownish one but a genuine grin.

"Yes...Yes, I would like that very much" she said with a nod, "let's shake on it." The moment she said this, everyone suddenly became nervous; thinking that she was going to trick Lincoln with a joy buzzer. "Relax, everybody" Giggles urged softly, "it's like I told Lincoln, I'm not much into clowning anymore."

While still feeling mildly suspicious, everyone decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and urged Lincoln to shake her hand. However, the instant he tried to do so; he suddenly felt her arm go limp. When he tried to pull away, Lincoln seemingly pulled off her arm out as well.

Naturally, everyone freaked out at this...all except for Luan and Giggles. "HA! Boy, oh boy; you should see your faces" cried Giggles with amusement, "did I get y'all good or what?!" Once everyone had stopped screaming, they looked over and saw that Giggles/Cori was okay.

"I said I gave up on clowning" she said between snickers, "but I haven't given up on my pranks...like my trusty fake arm." After realizing that he'd been tricked, Lincoln felt that he should've seen it coming; as did his family and friends. But at the same time, they felt it was...slightly humorous and a more welcomed prank.

"Well, everybody; what are we waiting on" Giggles exclaimed, "this clown's ready to party!" With that, she headed straight for the exit but not before informing her parents on where she was heading off to. Meanwhile, the Gals looked over in her direction and smiled slightly; thinking that life for them will be getting a bit more interesting.

(First AN: Sorry this took so long to make, everybody; since this oneshot contained a talent show, I wanted to give all those who entered enough time to shine. Furthermore, I had to do a lot of research on the type of "anti-jokes" Giggles and Lincoln would be doing. Again, sorry for the long wait; I hope you'll enjoy reading this)

(Second AN: The idea behind this oneshot was given to me by Crafordbrian17, Timbuk1 and/or one of my past reviewers from long ago. I hope what I did here lives up to your standards and if not, at least I can say I tried)

(Third AN: Within the Gal Pals Canon of the Loud House universe, Giggles real name is Coriander Barnum. I went with Barnum in honor of the famous showman and one of the two men behind the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Figured it would seem fitting, given that Giggles enjoyed clowning so much.

Before anyone asks; no, she is no relation to Lord Barnum from my other Loud House story entitled Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Checkmate. As they say in some movie disclaimers, them having the same last name is purely coincidental)

(Fourth AN: I got the idea for Biff's hair-styling "talent" from Johnny Bravo, a classic cartoon from the early days of Cartoon Network. While Biff may not be as muscular or as dumb as Johnny, he's just as full of himself as he is)

(Fifth AN: There are three separate song titles used within this oneshot. The first and most obvious one is Africa by Toto, the second is California Loco; which was featured in the Pixar short Inner Workings. The song in question was composed by Ludwig Goransson and sung be Este Haim or just Haim.

Meanwhile, the song Green Grows the Laurel is a Scottish and English folk song that has been performed by many different groups. Regardless, each of the song titles used/referenced here belongs to their respective owners and not me. So, please; do not sue me.)

(Sixth AN: The two spells Lincoln uses in during his and Giggles' performance come from two separate Cartoon Network shows. _Unexpecto Amphibiosis_ comes from The Amazing World of Gumball, while _Transfera Identica_ comes from Ben 10. I felt that they would work well with Lincoln's performance.

In any case, neither one belongs to me; they belong to their respective creators)

(Seventh AN: Much like with Giggles' true name, the character originally known as Mohawk Kid will also be known as Mordecai every now and again in future installments of this anthology. While thinking up a name for him, the name Mordecai just...clicked with me)

(Final AN: In regards to Lincoln's original friend group not liking magic; namely Rusty, Liam, Zach, Stella and Clyde. This was all a reference to the episode Antiqued Off, for those who might be curious)


	23. Gender Bender with the Gal Pals

Gender Bender with the Gal Pals

(Story Synopsis: Once more, Lincoln finds his identity *his _gender _identity, to be precise* being put into question; this time by his fellow classmates. After seeing him act more sensitively in public, showing interests in "female oriented" hobbies and factoring that in with him being surrounded by more girls than boys his own age; many of Lincoln's fellow students begin to wonder if he is more of a girl than a boy. Some of them have gone as far as to call him "Linka" out of mockery or spite because of it.

Will Lincoln submit to all this teasing or will a new arrival at the school be able to help remind him _and _the school that he is just fine as he is?)

It was the second week of school since Winter Break came to an end and things went about like usual. Students either chatted idly in the halls or rushed off to class, hall monitors could be seen trying to keep the peace and teachers were in their classrooms giving lessons. Yessir, things were quite busy at Royal Woods Middle School; especially at the office of Miss April Rains, the guidance counselor.

Like most people in her field, much of the week was spent in helping comfort troubled students or to provide some advice for them. Be it relationship issues, emotional issues or simply anxiety from the day-by-day school schedule; students could count on Miss Rains for a pick me up. However, when Friday afternoon came around; she would be faced with a situation that would prove to be quite a challenge for her.

On the day in question, Miss Rain was in the midst of finishing up another one of her earlier appointments, just after finishing her lunch. "Now, young man; remember what we've talked about today" she said while helping lead a young 7th Grader out the door, "you need to stand firm, stand your ground, look your father in the eye and tell him 'I don't like playing football anymore, I want to go join the Drama Club and become an actor!'" Feeling emboldened by the counselor's advice, the student gave a soft yet still hearty cheer and thanked Miss Rain with an enthusiastic handshake.

"Thanks so much for the support, Ma'am" the young man said gratefully, "I sure hope it works when I get the chance to talk with my dad." With that done, Miss Rain bade the student good day and sent him off to class. She was just moments away from going into her office to clean up before the final bell, when she saw another student waiting outside.

Much to her surprise; it was Lincoln Loud, a student she'd seldom seen grace her door since school started in the fall. Upon inspection, she could see that the poor boy looked incredibly downtrodden and even spotted dry tear streaks on his cheeks. "_Namaste_, Mr. Loud" greeted Miss Rain with a slight bow, "is there something I can help you with?"

Without saying a word, Lincoln reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. After she unfolded it, Miss Rain saw that it was a notice signed by both Lincoln's homeroom teacher _and _Principal Ramirez. Upon reading it; her expressions shifted between surprised, shocked and finally, distressed.

"It says here that your teachers claim you've been...disrupting your classes" she said uneasily, "care to talk about it, dear?" After taking a moment to wipe the tear streaks from his face away, Lincoln offered up a slight nod and entered the counselor's office. Afterwards, he plonked himself heavily upon a large couch; the kind psychiatrists were known to have.

For what felt like ages, neither one of them spoke a word the instant Lincoln came in; which made Miss Rain feel rather nervous. Wishing to help break the ice, she decided to offer up a peppermint from a candy dish she had on her desk. "Thanks...but no thanks, ma'am" Lincoln murmured sadly, "I don't feel much in the mood for sweets right now."

This statement felt like a powerful gut punch for Miss Rain; for most of the year, her peppermints had either been the perfect ice breaker or closer for her appointments. So, if one of the students wasn't willing to accept one; something must've truly been amiss.

"Very well, then" she sighed, "let's get down to business...care to discuss these accusations regarding you 'disrupting class?'" The moment this question was asked, Lincoln instantly leapt into a frenzy. He was pacing the room, pulling at his hair, stomping his feet; all while ranting about how everything "wasn't his fault" or that the other students should've simply "minded their own business." When she saw that his face was starting to glow red, Miss Rains quickly took action.

"Mr. Loud...or would you prefer I call you Lincoln, instead" she asked, "why don't we take a moment to calm down...care to meditate with me?" While he still felt a little flustered over everything that's happened, something about the counselor's suggestion gave him pause. After a while, Lincoln decided to take up on her suggestion and assumed the proper lotus position on the couch.

"Now, as we breathe in the calm and expel the negativity; chant with me" Miss Rain instructed, "ooooommmm...ooooommmm." Without hesitation, Lincoln followed his instructions and chanted after every breath he took. For a brief moment, Lincoln felt like he was back in Dr. Lopez's office; considering she used similar breathing exercises in the past with Clyde (and himself.)

For almost two minutes, nothing seemed to happen; which made Lincoln feel rather upset. _"No...No, remember your lessons"_ he told himself, _"think calm, peaceful thoughts."_ With this in mind; after another two minutes of breathing, Lincoln appeared much calmer than he did earlier.

However, he could still feel the stresses of what he experienced over the week gnawing away at his sanity. By the time they finished meditating, Lincoln felt...a little less on edge than before. "There we are...feeling better" asked Miss Rain, earning a slight nod from Lincoln; "that is good, now...do you want to talk about what happened now?"

As he gently eased himself in a more comfortable position on the couch, Lincoln mentally debated on what to do next. Finally, after a minute of silence; Lincoln faced Miss Rain and decided to come clean. "The truth is, Ma'am; I really _do_ need someone to talk to about this" he explained, "but...I'm worried about what you might think about me."

Miss Rain nodded slightly at this, believing that this was a good start towards Lincoln opening up and she asked why he seemed so worried. "Okay, I know you think I'm weird for saying this" the boy murmured, "but for the past week; thanks to some of my classmates, I've been having...a sort...identity crisis." This revelation left the counselor feeling both confused yet intrigued, at the same time.

But never the less; Miss Rain insisted upon Lincoln that they were in a safe place, that he could talk to her about anything. "Okay...here it goes, then" Lincoln said with a sigh, "it all started on Monday in Home Ec Class."

(Flashback)

_As our story takes us to the beginning of the week, we find Lincoln and Clyde working as partners in Home Economics class. While they had some difficulty in understanding the matters of finances and home management, they strongly excelled in the classes two other aspects; namely child care and cooking. On this particular day, their teacher tasked everyone with making a full tin of muffins (regardless of flavor variety.)_

_ In response to this, most of the class either groaned with boredom or acted like the task was "demeaning." But for Clincoln McCLoud, this was the greatest news they've heard since the time the mall gave away were free Ace Savvy Convention tickets (to the first few dozen people, of course.) "I've been hankering to make my favorite strawberry muffins" Lincoln said with anticipation, "we better get our station ready, Clyde."_

_ As the duo quickly went to work in setting up their supplies, some of the other students looked upon them with looks of mild disgust and disappointment. The boys felt especially bothered by this, thinking it was "weird" to see two members of their gender to get so excited over cooking. When the time came where everyone's muffins were finished baking, the end results were...varied._

_ Some students' creations came out underdone but still tasted appealing. Others came out so burnt that the whole classroom almost suffocated from the smoke. But there was a select few whose creations came out so perfectly and tasted so delicious, the teacher proclaimed they must've been made by professionals on the sly._

_ The first of these happy few was Omar, who presented a tin full of Cajun style cornbread muffins. The aroma they gave off was so rich, it completely drove away that of the burning muffin platters. "Ooh! Oh, Omar; these are delectable" exclaimed the teacher with glee, after making a taste test, "did you really make these from scratch?"_

_ The young man blushed humbly, chuckled and said that he got the recipe from his mother; Gail. "I always love it when Mama Gail makes her Cajun recipes" Omar said with nostalgia in his voice, "next to these muffins, her gumbo and hush puppies are to die for!" Not only did the young man's words make the teacher quiver with delight, it also caused Lincoln and Clyde's bellies to rumble._

_ When the time came for her to try _their_ muffins, the teacher proclaimed that Lincoln and Clyde's had the perfect amount of sweetness baked into them. "Thank you, Ma'am" Lincoln said gratefully, "my dad first taught me how to make these when I was nine, it's what got me into loving how to cook." Not long after this, Clyde echoed his bestie's words; expressing his years of cooking alongside both of his fathers with great pride._

_ This announcement created a mixed reaction among the students, to say the least. While the teacher, the duo's other guy friends and even a few girls in the class thought their skills were impressive; everyone else...had other things to say. "Figures you of all people would like cookin', Loud" a 7__th__ Grader jeered from the back of the room, "bein' around all those ladies must've turned ya into some kinda sissy!"_

_ This outcry of mockery caused several students to burst out in laughing; which in turn, made both Clyde and Lincoln blush profusely with embarrassment. This jeering went on for almost two minutes, until the teacher finally managed to get the class back in line. "There is no need for that kind of talk, everyone" she said firmly, "perhaps, you're only behaving this way because you're jealous of the boys' actual hard work."_

_ Soon after the teacher said all this, the heckling students soon fell silent; even though they still had plenty more to say in regards to Lincoln's "hard work." Meanwhile, the boy in question was curling up so tightly in his seat with shame; he wished he could pop his head into his body like a tortoise. That was when he suddenly felt Omar's large hand touch him on the shoulder._

_ "Don't listen to all them, my man" he whispered reassuringly, "it's like the teacher said, they're just jealous." While one part of his mind fully agreed with Omar's words, there was another part of Lincoln that believed everyone was right to call him a sissy._

(Cut Back to Reality)

As we return to the counselor's office and as Lincoln tells Miss Rain about the event in question; she seemed rather...unresponsive, at first. Then, she takes a look at the notice he was given and questions how his teachers believed he was "disrupting class." "I think only Principal Ramirez thinks that way, Ma'am" Lincoln retorted politely, "of course...I can't really blame her, after the week I've had."

With this statement, he revealed that incidents like the one from Home Ec happened to him on several occasions within that one week alone. "To start with; during each day, some students always watch me sitting with a mix of my guy and girl friends almost everywhere I'm at" Lincoln explained, "apparently, they think it's 'weird' that I'm around them so much...the girls, I mean." Miss Rain nodded silently, took note of this on a piece of paper and bade him to continue. "Then, on Wednesday; I recited a poem for my English assignment" Lincoln stated, "and the teacher really liked it."

Though pleased by this news, Miss Rains asked how this was associated with Lincoln's crisis. "Well...I'm not usually much of a poem expert" he replied shyly, "that's more my sister, Lucy and our friend, Haiku's skill set...but they've been giving me quite a few pointers." Soon after he said this, Lincoln then revealed how some classmates started whispering about him in silence.

"I couldn't quite hear them very clearly, truth be told" he confessed, "but I swear, I heard at least one or two of them say stuff like 'taking lessons from your sister...how lame' or 'he's the only guy I know who's actually into this poetry garbage.'" Like before, Miss Rain took note of everything Lincoln just told her. But while she did so, she inwardly felt that it was most uncouth for Lincoln's fellow students to act that way about him.

"What about the day before that" she asked, "did anything happened on Tuesday that revolves around this issue?" With a light blush upon his cheeks; Lincoln revealed that what happened, that day was something near similar to the Home Ec "incident." "We were in Art Class, you see" he explained, "it was pottery day and Clyde and I were putting great care into our creation."

(Flashback)

_As the pottery assignment began in the art room, Clyde carefully moved his hands along the swirling mount of clay on his creation; while Lincoln was busily styling _his _with a few artistic designs. "Maybe I should mix it up a little, add a few animal designs along with the floral ones" Lincoln pondered, "you know, like some of the Mexican pottery Miss Campos showed us one time." After taking a moment to consider the idea, Clyde thought it was quite clever and seconded it._

_ That's when it happened; as both boys began to color their creations, they suddenly heard whispers from the students that sat close by to them. Among these whispers was the occasional assumption that only "fruity people" enjoyed art and that Lincoln was, once again acting less like a boy and more like a lady. To really drive the point home; at one point, a paper plane suddenly struck Lincoln in the back of the head._

_ Upon inspecting the item, Clyde could see what looked like traces of colored pencil markings from within the creases. But before they could see what was on the paper itself, the teacher caught sight of the duo and told them to put their plane away or throw it away. "Let's check it out after class, buddy" Lincoln said while stuffing it inside of his backpack, "I mean...it's probably nothing but you can't be sure."_

_ With that settled, both boys quickly went back to their work...but Lincoln still couldn't help but wonder what was on the plane. Finally, when class was dismissed and everyone went out into the halls; Lincoln and Clyde finally had the chance to take a look at it. After carefully unfolding the paper for a few seconds, they took one look at it and their jaws dropped._

(Cut back to reality)

As we cut back to the present, once again; we find Miss Rain looking at the unfolded paper airplane Lincoln had stored away in his backpack. On it was a drawing, one featuring both him _and _Clyde as girls. Lincoln (or "Linka," as the artist chose to call him on the paper) looked near similar to the original in some ways; white hair, chipped buck tooth, face freckles and the even had the same colored tops.

But Linka was dressed in an orange blouse, a plaid skirt, white earrings, an orange hairclip, red shoes, white knee-high socks and his nails were all coated in pink nail polish. On this same paper was a picture of a female version of Clyde (otherwise known as "Claire" on the drawing.) She was wearing a yellow dress with a white belt and collar, black shoes, knee-high socks (much like Linka's,) wore a blue bow in her poofy/curly black hair and also sported a pair of purple hoop earrings.

For a moment, Lincoln half expected the counselor to feel upset by the drawing...at least, to a certain extent. But instead; much to his surprise, he suddenly heard her...laughing and it sounded quite giddy. Upon realizing her sudden lapse in behavior, seconds later, Miss Rain quickly apologized and placed the drawing on her desk.

"I am dreadfully sorry for that, dear" she said shamefully, "it's just...the picture made you and Clyde look so cute as ladies." While he didn't say it out loud, Lincoln couldn't help but disagree with Miss Rain's words. After a while, she dropped the subject regarding the drawing and urged Lincoln to proceed again.

"Well, another incident happened to me; on that same day" he said firmly, "this time, it happened down in Ms. Pham's Biology Class." From here, Lincoln explained how they were about to delve into the "ever popular" frog dissection assignment. Straightaway, Miss Rain could predict what the initial issue was and she told Lincoln it was quite understandable.

"Truth be told, dear; _nobody_ likes dissecting things that much" she confessed, "regardless if they a girl _or _a boy." Though Lincoln was happy to hear her say this, he felt that such words came too little too late and that the damage had been done. "'One of the guys from the football team said that any man should have enough stones in them to cut an animal open'" Lincoln grumbled sickly, "'even if it was still alive.'"

As the story went on, he described many other kinds of gender-based slurs that were sent his way during the week. "All around me; a lot of guys and girls started to say I've got no muscles, that I smelled like antibacterial baby wipes most of the time, that I found too much pleasures in beauty treatments; like manicures or mud masks" he stated, "the list goes on!" Almost immediately, Miss Rain questioned the meaning behind the "baby wipes" comment; to which Lincoln responded with all the years he spent changing his littlest sister, Lily.

"Ah, I see; that's perfectly understandable" she stated, "as is your love for 'feminine activities.'" Before Lincoln could offer up a retort, Miss Rain said that loads of boys and even men enjoyed the activities he mentioned. "I know many fellows who enjoy a good pedicure every now and again" she stated, "some are even bold enough to put polish on afterwards."

This bit of news came as quite a shock for Lincoln, to say the least. But he quickly realized that with the exception of Clyde and his dads, such menfolk were far too few in town. "What about your father" asked Miss Rain, "if he enjoys cooking, he must also enjoy other 'girl things' as well...doesn't he?"

For a while, Lincoln didn't quite know how to respond to the question. Though he'd seen his dad watch Dreamboat with them on many occasions, help Lucy and Leni with their artistic pursuits, join Lola for her tea parties (on occasion) and put his heart and soul into his cooking skills...he rarely saw him do any other "girly things" in the house. So, this suggestion was a bit of a no go for him.

"Very well, then...what about Clyde" questioned Miss Rain, "in almost every part of your story, I've noticed that _he's_ been on the receiving end of these insults as well...how does _he _feel about all this?" Without hesitation; Lincoln revealed that deep down, he truly felt jealous of Clyde all week. "You're right, people have called _him _a sissy for his behavior as much as they do me" Lincoln stated, "even my sister, Lynn did; long ago."

While trying to be respectful; Miss Rain said that while she appreciated the boy's openness, he was still dodging the question. "Okay...you're right, sorry" Lincoln murmured, "my point is, despite all the names he's been called all week; Clyde didn't feel bothered by _any _of it!" When the Loud boy got the chance to do so, he asked his BFF why he was able to stay so strong; in spite of all the slurs.

"Then...he looked me in the eyes and said that he liked who he was" Lincoln murmured, "he liked being the quirky, awkward, nerdy yet talented and sweet son of two dads...that he had no shame in being so open with his feminine side." Upon hearing this part of the story, Miss Rain proceeded to ask Lincoln if _he _felt ashamed about this part of him. "No...Maybe...I don't know, I guess" he grumbled with a light yet shamed blush, "can we talk about something else, please?"

Reluctantly, Miss Rain complied with his request and chose to ask what happened on Thursday. "Well...my friend, Jordon (or Girl Jordan as others often called her) showed me this new song she downloaded on her phone last weekend" Lincoln explained, "ever heard of 'The Hardest Part of Breaking Up' by Boyz Will Be Boyz?" The instant the song title was mentioned, Miss Rain suddenly glowed with joy.

"Oh! My niece introduced me to that song and I just love it" she exclaimed, "it's my second favorite...next to 'Isn't It Love' by Estella Sugar." No sooner had she mentioned this; she asked Lincoln if _he _somehow, knew of the song. "No...Yes...maybe a little bit of it" he murmured, "it's been a while since I heard it, to be honest."

Though she could sense a small ring of truth to his words, Miss Rain knew that Lincoln was more familiar with the song than he let on. This gave her the idea to test him and see if he was telling the truth. "I admit, it's been some time since _I _last heard the song too...does it sound anything like this?"

No sooner had she asked this question, she reached beneath her desk and pulled out a guitar; one that she received from a family member on Christmas. Then, she started strumming the first few chords of the song; which made Lincoln feel a little worried. "Uh...(ahem) Ma'am, I don't wish to be rude here" he said timidly, "but if anyone outside hears you playing, they might get upset."

With a soft smile on her face, Miss Rain assured Lincoln that no one would be interfering with her session. "I've hung a notice outside the door, while you were seating yourself earlier." To prove her point, she opened the door slightly to reveal a small plastic notice hanging from the doorknob; one that read "session in progress, do not disturb."

"So, unless something dire happens; no one will be intruding on the two of us" Miss Rain assured, "which means, we're free to have a little sing-along." With that said, she resumed playing the opening chords to Isn't It Love once again. The whole time she played, the different notes of the guitar strings suddenly began to sooth Lincoln's mind; albeit slightly.

Then, Miss Rain began to hum softly; which sounded just as pleasant to Lincoln's ears. Finally, after one quick yet strong chord; the counselor began to sing.

_Suddenly hot I'm..._

_Suddenly cool I'm..._

_Suddenly a genius I'm..._

_Suddenly a fool I'm..._

_Suddenly fact but I feel-_

_Stranger than fiction I'm new_

_But I'm suddenly back_

_I'm a walking contradiction!_

At that moment, Miss Rain had suddenly stopped playing and gazed over at Lincoln; who appeared to be swaying slightly and humming. This led her to playfully urge him into singing the next part with her. "C'mon, honey...it'll be fun" she urged softly, "you must know the words!"

After this was said, she gave a swift yet hard strum of her guitar and sang the phrase "doesn't this have a name" three times over. During each of the three times, she gestured out to him; as if signaling for Lincoln to sing the chorus...but he hesitated. With this attempt failed, she sang the opening vocals again until she reached the middle.

Miss Rain: _Doesn't this have a name?_

Lincoln with a hesitant voice: _La-da...da-da...da_

Miss Rain: _Doesn't this have a name?_

Lincoln with slightly more confidence: _La-da-da-da-da_

Miss Rain: _Doesn't this have a name?_

(Miss Rain with a bright smile)

_And isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?_

(Lincoln with a small but happy smile)

_Isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?_

(Miss Rain)

_And isn't it, isn't it, isn't it love?_

(both)

_Isn't it_

_Isn't it_

_Isn't it LOOOOOOOVE?_

After the song came to an end, the duo fell back into their seats and panted heavily; all while having broad smiles upon their faces. Miss Rain then put her guitar away, smoothed out her hair and clothes and sighed with contentment. "That was wonderful, Lincoln" she said with pride, "you really are a great singer." The young Loud boy was but a moment away from thanking her...until his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

At first, Miss Rain took this as a sign that he felt moved by either the song itself or by the performance...but he quickly dismissed her theory. "I'm crying because the others were right" he growled tearfully, "I _am _a weirdo...a weirdo who acts more like a girl than he does a boy!" Before she had the chance to speak up, Lincoln reminded her of their earlier discussion; when he mentioned the Boyz Will Be Boyz song.

"See, I was on my way to the cafeteria and...I guess I had a case of earworm, that day" he stated, "I'd been singing both songs to myself at random times while I was walking the halls, I even danced a little to them!" As expected, Miss Rain insisted upon Lincoln that there was no crime in doing either of those things; as long as he wasn't disturbing anyone. "Besides; guy or girl, who could ever dislike any of top hits that play on the radio" she asked, "they were put there for a reason...because they're infectiously catchy, am I right?"

As if on cue; Lincoln responded to this by falling back against the couch, throwing his hands up into the air and proclaiming "YES, EXACTLY...THANK YOU!" All too quickly, though; he suddenly realized his outburst and got back on the subject at hand. "This brings us to today" he cried with exasperation, "about an hour and a half ago, to be exact."

Intrigued by this, Miss Rain asked what it was that happened at that specific time. "I...I'm afraid _that _might be too embarrassing to talk about, even here" Lincoln replied hesitantly, "I'm worried you might laugh at me." Feeling mildly offended by such an assumption, Miss Rain firmly assured Lincoln that the office was a safe place; which guaranteed zero percent judgment towards whatever he might say there.

Upon hearing the sincerity in the counselor's voice, Lincoln felt a comfortable enough to speak his mind. "Okay...it's like this" he began, "we'd just finished off playing Bombardment in Gym and my team did _awesomely_ with our trusty Scorpion Formation!" Feeling curious, Miss Rain asked how such a strategy helped them win; to which Lincoln responded with one simple word..."Stella."

"She's one of my lady friends and has been an honorary part of my 'Guy Crew,' as it were long before any of the other Gals became my friends" he explained, "she also acts as the 'tail' in our Scorpion Formation!" Realizing that he was getting slightly off track, Lincoln offered to tell that part of the story later. Afterwards, he got back to just after the game had ended and the time came for all students to hit the showers.

"Now, I know what you're thinking and the answer is no" Lincoln said suddenly, "I am _not _nervous about showering around several other boys my age at once." Miss Rain blinked softly in both confusion _and _amazement, wondering just how he knew she planned on asking him about that. "Very well, then" she murmured, "what else happened during your shower time."

After taking a moment to gulp down the nervous lump in his throat, Lincoln prepped himself to begin his tale...but not before asking to take a peppermint from her candy dish. "Of course, dear" Miss Rain said with a light grin, "perhaps, it will help keep you calm while you tell your story." Lincoln smiled warmly, took a one of the mints in hand and thanked the counselor with a bow of his head.

"Okay...so, it's like this" he murmured, "the game went great, my team performed incredibly well and I had loads of fun chatting with my friends in the showers...until I started scrubbing myself." Before continuing, he picked up his bag and collected something from inside; a bottle of Oriental Serenity Body Wash. "OH! I love this kind of soap" Miss Rain cried with glee, "not only are all of its ingredients organic but it leaves your skin looking and _smelling_ as fresh as springtime cherry blossoms!"

After sharing a small chuckle at this exclamation; Lincoln revealed that everything Miss Rain said was exactly why his sisters Lori, Leni, Lola...and even his parents loved using the body wash. "Since my dad used it on occasion, I thought I'd try it out myself after my Gym shower" he explained, "boy...was that a dumb mistake."

(Flashback)

_As the boys entered the shower area of the locker room, some among them began laughing heartily at their victory while others lamented being on the losing side. "I can't believe how quickly we got smoked out there" said a young teen with a faux hawk and a unibrow, "I told you guys there was something fishy about that 'Scorpion Formation' thing that Loud's team came up with." The boys friends all grumbled softly, either telling him not to remind him about the loss or that to say they were too sore to make an argument._

_ "It's all your fault, Mordecai" growled a heavyset kid with tall blonde hair, "he had to go and open his mouth and claim Stella had no game...and now look at us; we got dodgeball-sized bruises on all four corners of our bodies!" As if he heard their cries of disappointment, Lincoln stepped out of the shower with a proud smile upon his face._

_ "Sorry that had to happen, guys" he murmured, "but it's like my sister, Lynn says; don't hate the player, hate the game." Mordecai and those beside him growled softly at Lincoln's bravado and were prepared to gang up on him...until a strange aroma suddenly reached their sinuses. It was a strange mix of roses, citrus and even a subtle hint of tangerine._

_ "What gives, Loud" questioned the kid with the faux hawk, "why do you smell like an Asian bath house?" In that moment, one part of his mind urged him not to speak; fearing the social repercussions that might come afterwards. This was especially apparent due to the troublesome week he had._

_ But another part of him felt he had zero reason to hide anything and thus, Lincoln revealed his body wash to everyone in the locker room. After that...all was deathly quiet, save for the occasional drops of water from the shower heads and/or the squeaking of everyone's feet on the floor. Then, at long last; the faux hawk decided to change the comment he said earlier._

_ "I was wrong, Loud and I'm sorry" he muttered, "you don't smell like an Asian bath house...you smell like an Asian super model!" This "insult" (if one could call it that) prompted the heavyset boy to laugh loudly. "Yeah! Are ya freshening up for your next photo shoot, Linka" he asked mockingly, "you don't wanna be late!"_

_ His anger already on the point of boiling over already, Lincoln felt libel to tell off these bullies and proclaim there was nothing wrong with how he smelled or the soap he used. But before he could raise his voice even a little; something suddenly snapped at him from his right, sending a powerfully painful sensation through his body. He looked over and saw that another one of the boys had rolled up his towel nice and tight._

_ "HA! Did you hear that just now, fellas" he guffawed loudly, "he even screams like a girl!" This declaration brought the entire locker room to break out into a fit of laughter...save for a small group of lads (Clyde among them.) Though it pained them to do so, the group didn't want to risk getting into trouble by getting caught up in the scene._

_ Thus, their only option was to retreat into the showers and take cover. There, Clyde watched as the others snapped their towels at Lincoln's body and feet; eager to make him sing and/or dance like the "girl" he was. As a result of this, every now and again; the poor boy would slip and fall on the wet floor._

_ Even though said falls _did _hurt a little, Lincoln refused to show it; not wanting to give his hecklers anymore ammo to use against him. Though his whole thing; only one other dude stayed out of the whole debacle, Byron (who was a close friend of Cici's.) "Things are getting out of hand in here" Byron murmured worriedly, "if they keep this up, Lincoln could either injure himself or who knows what else!"_

_ With this in mind, Omar volunteered to go and get Coach Keck in her office. Unfortunately, due to the situation at hand; Omar had no time to change back into his school clothes. Thus, he was forced to wrap an XXXtra large towel around and rush out of the locker room in this manner._

_ Naturally, seeing one of her students appear in her office half-naked shocked Coach Keck greatly. "SIMMONS! What in blue blazes are you doing" she cried, "why aren't you dressed yet?!" After taking a moment to catch his breath, Omar first apologized for not appearing presentable. _

_ Then, he told her that Lincoln was in danger and that she needed to help him now. "What's the problem now" the coach asked with a light yet disgruntled sigh, "did McBride forget his locker combination again?" Now, one hundred percent of the time; Omar strove to always behave himself and respect his elders (just as his police officer of a mama taught him.)_

_ But in a case like this where one of his friends was in danger, he couldn't stand around and make nice; action was called for. "Look...I'm really sorry to say this, Ma'am" Omar murmured shyly, "but...GET YO' BUTT OUTTA THAT CHAIR AND COME WITH ME BEFORE MY FRIEND GETS HURT!" No sooner had he said this, Coach Keck's face suddenly flared red and she immediately gave chase after him; which was exactly what Omar wanted._

_ When the two of them had finally arrived back at the gym, the small group of boys were still snapping their towels and laughing at something on the floor. The instant her mind registered this scene, all of Coach Keck's previous anger towards Omar gave way to newfound outrage towards her students. Not long after that, she popped her whistle in her mouth and gave it a strong toot; which caused the group of boys to immediately back away._

_ "ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE RAGGAMUFFINS; WHAT'S GOIN' ON IN HERE" she shouted, "what are all of you doing in...here?" As she walked over towards the middle of the locker room; she looked down and found Lincoln lying on the floor, his body covered in numerous red bruises on both sides of his torso and feet. At the same time, she also saw him curled up into a tight fetal position and appeared to be crying softly._

_ Needless to say, Coach Keck was not at all pleased with this sight. "Okay...who in here did this" she asked in a fierce whisper, "who did this to him and why?" As one would expect, no one dared to speak up due to their overall fear of what the coach might do to them._

_ This, of course only made her even angrier and she demanded that someone speak up. When no one dared to raise their voices, Coach Keck grew even more flustered and was ready to send everyone off to the principal's office. "Coach, if I may; those of us who stayed in the shower area saw everything" Clyde interjected, "it was Mordecai, he and a few other students ganged up on Lincoln over the type of body wash he was using."_

_ At first, Coach Keck thought that the explanation sounded a little ridiculous. But then, she quickly remembered how fickle middle schoolers can often be with each other and immediately called Mordecai's group forward. "But...But Coach, the kid was stinkin' up the place with his girly smells" cried the faux hawk boy, "if anyone's at fault here, it's Loud!"_

_ In that moment, Coach Keck felt torn; on one hand, she wanted to discipline the boys both for their actions _and_ their excuses. But on the other, she heard that Lincoln had been the center of several other incidents during the majority of that week alone. In the end, she came to a decision that would have _both _sides dealt with._

_ "It doesn't matter who started it, kiddies" Coach Keck said firmly, "what matters is that you finished it...just like I'm going to...by having you and anyone else who attacked Loud spend the next four months running suicides at the start of class!" As one might expect, Mordecai and those around him all cried out in outrage; claiming that running such drills could probably "kill them." "Well, you probably shoulda thought of that _before_ you started attackin' one of the other students" the coach said firmly, "now...get yourselves dressed and outta this locker room!"_

_ As much as the suicide drills punishment bothered them, the fear they felt from the tone in Coach Keck's voice overshadowed that and the students quickly hurried off to collect their clothes. Then, once they were dressed; they rushed out of the gymnasium, not wishing to linger around for much longer. This left the coach and the rest of the boys behind with Lincoln, who was still crying on the locker room floor._

_ "Somebody...help seat him on the bench and dry him off" sighed the coach tiredly, "then...help bring him down to the principal's office after." Clyde, Omar, Bryon and all the remaining boys nodded slightly in compliance; before gently taking hold of Lincoln and sitting him up on one of the benches. With this taken care of, the coach made her way back to her office._

_ But before she left, Lincoln swore he heard her whisper "these Louds...why are they such a magnet for shenanigans." This statement, while not directed squarely at him, felt like a gut punch to the poor boy._

(Back to reality)

As we cut back to the present, Lincoln is seen showing the many bruises the towel attack left on him. Needless to say, Miss Rain was quite shocked and questioned Coach Keck didn't send Lincoln off to the nurse first before the principal's office. "That's really not important now" Lincoln grumbled, "the point of my story is once again, Fate has messed with me and shown just how much of a freak I am...this time to my classmates!"

No sooner had he mentioned this, Lincoln further expressed his shame towards the situation by referencing other events from his past. "Back in the day, this sort of thing happened to me before" he murmured, "there was another time where I feared I was becoming less of a boy/man than I should've been!" Feeling nervous but still rather curious, Miss Rain asked what transpired on the date in question.

"To make a long story short; thanks to being around my sisters, I grew to love and/or know about more female things than male" Lincoln replied, "I was doing mud mask treatments with Lori, painting Lucy or Lola's nails, helping sew clothes with Leni...I even helped coach Lola for her pageants, long ago." To say that Miss Rain was surprised by the boy's list would be putting it mildly. Truth be told, she was amazed by how open and/or versed he was about certain "female oriented" things.

"So, then...I'm guessing you started to fear about your gender identity" she asked, "what did you do afterwards, if I may ask?" With a weary sigh, Lincoln regretfully revealed that he wanted to do something to "prove his manliness" and the best way he knew how was through exploring the woods. "Back then, I thought I could do all the things most men were capable of out there" he murmured, "like building a shelter out of sticks, starting a fire or even finding our own food...but I failed each time and what's worse; I put Clyde in danger."

From here, Lincoln mentioned several instances where he and/or Clyde tried to rest themselves on "soft rocks; only to discover that they were actually a beehive, a moose and later, a bear. "GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME" Miss Rain cried out in alarm, "that sounds harrowing...how were you boys able to survive all that?" With a soft blush on his face, Lincoln revealed that when faced with any sort of obstacle along their trek back to the B Lincoln thought back to things he learned from his sisters.

"When we were chased by the bear, I talked Clyde into playing dead beside me" Lincoln stated, "which was something I've seen Lucy do on some occasions...mostly when one of my other sisters tries to attack her." After pausing for a moment to take some notes, Miss Rain urged him to continue. "At another point, I made a rope out of some leaves to help us down a steep hill; thanks to some braiding tips I learned from Luna" Lincoln stated, "but...I soon realized that I made the rope from poison ivy."

Miss Rain hissed softly with dismay, recalling how painful it was for anyone to receive a poison ivy rash. But Lincoln revealed that it wouldn't be an issue for very long. "Thanks to a mud mask treatment tips Lori taught me, the itching was no longer an issue for Clyde and I" he said proudly, "according to her; mud helps sooth sunburn, mild to moderate acne and in our case at the time, poison ivy... and it really helped a lot."

Miss Rain couldn't help but commend Lori for the knowledge she passed on to her brother. Not only was it a resourceful method of First Aid, it was also (to her) environmentally safe. "At one point, it got a little chilly and we needed something to keep us warm" Lincoln explained, "and thanks to some tips I learned from Leni, I knew just what to do."

From here, he described to Miss Rain how he made nature ponchos for himself and Clyde to wear for the rest of the journey. "The real trick was the birch bark lining I used for the inner covering for our ponchos" Lincoln stated, "Birch was the best kind of wood to help keep us toasty. With a soft murmur of approval, Miss Rain began to make a personal note for herself; one that involved making a more _adult-sized_ leaf poncho.

When Miss Rain asked what the tip was specifically, he brought up the mud mask treatments he mentioned earlier. By this point in the story, Miss Rain was becoming quite fascinated and asked what happened next. "At one point, we saw a rock blocking the path we were on and we needed to move it" Lincoln replied, "fortunately, Lynn taught me to always lift with the knees whenever you're moving heavy loads."

After this, Lincoln mentioned how he and Clyde came across a log that stretched across a cliff. Since there was no other way to the other side, the boys knew they had to cross the log...somehow. "That must've taken a great deal of concentration and balance to achieve" Miss Rain stated, "I'm guessing that you owe this to _another _thing his sisters taught you?" Lincoln chuckled softly at her words but nevertheless applauded on her "expert deduction."

"This time, it was something I learned from Lola while watching her practice runway walks with books on her head" he explained, "to do this just right, she had three basic rules; eyes forward, chin up and tushie clenched." In spite of herself, Miss Rain shared a small chuckle and asked if the method truly worked for either of them. "I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you, if it didn't" Lincoln laughed softly, "am I right?"

Through all their laughter, Miss Rain couldn't help but feel pleased. It seemed as though Lincoln was getting back to normal, after bearing his soul to her. "In the end, we made it safely back to the B&B in one piece" the Loud boy sighed softly, "and I learned that it was all thanks to the things I learned from the women in my family." After giving a slight nod, Miss Rain deduced that Lincoln must've realized there was no such thing as being the right type of "manly" or "girly" in the world.

"Believe me; that day I literally had to learn that lesson the hard way" Lincoln said bluntly, "so...why is it that after all this time, I find myself facing that same crisis all over again?" Without hesitation, Miss Rain told him that it was natural for children his age to have difficulty "finding their place in the world." "Maybe you're right, ma'am" Lincoln murmured softly, "but then again...most 'normal teens' have fewer siblings, most 'normal teens' do 'normal teenage stuff...' and most 'normal teens' don't look and act like freak."

Feeling mortified by these words, Miss Rain lightly slammed her hands upon her desk and firmly yet softly told Lincoln that he was not a freak. "The way I see it, all those people who teased you...they're probably just jealous" she stated, "so many people out there truly care about you, quirks and all and...they probably feel that such circumstances are unheard of." While trying to be as respectable as possible, Lincoln still found Miss Rain's statement to be quite ridiculous.

"You are absolutely right, young man...and that's the unfortunate nature of society today" she said dejectedly, "anytime men or women try to deviate from the status quo, there are those out there who almost automatically brand them as 'freaks' or 'weirdoes.'" To give him a more personal example; Miss Rain said that if circumstances were different in Michigan, girls like Lynn would be forbidden from playing sports of any kind. "In the past; people felt that sports like Football, Baseball, Soccer and others were things solely reserved for men and that women were far too 'frail' to play" explained Miss Rain, "but all that changed, once people like your sister became athletes and showed just how capable they are."

While he appreciated the small history lesson, Lincoln questioned how such information involved _him _specifically. "My dear, sweet child; I'm afraid your situation has _everything_ to do with my story" Miss Rain stated, "but what society fails to accept is that more and more males are becoming like you; more sensitive, caring and worrying less about feeling/acting 'macho.'" To conclude her statement; she revealed that _both_ sides of the spectrum have been striving _and _struggling to break the mold, to this day.

"In fact, I just realized something" Miss Rain said suddenly, "I've been so occupied with helping students like you that I almost forgot we have an important assembly today!" Upon hearing this, Lincoln's mind suddenly recalled seeing several notices posted on some hallways and on the bulletin board outside the administration office about the assembly. "If I may ask, what's it about anyway" he asked with mild curiosity, "am I...in trouble at all?"

In response to this, Miss Rain took Lincoln's hands into hers and assured him that the assembly had nothing to do with a student. "To get to the point, we're expecting a new member of our faculty today" she said gleefully, "and I think they might be able to help you in your situation." With that said, Miss Rain gave Lincoln one more peppermint for the road and sent him on his way.

"Before you go, dear; just remember one thing" she said softly, "be honest, be true and always...be _you._" To add emphasis on her last word, Miss Rain lightly pressed her index finger upon Lincoln's chest; as if to tell him to never lose sight of who he was, quirks and all. After that, the two of them shared a quick "Namaste" in farewell and Lincoln went off to his homeroom.

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the entire student body and faculty was gathered together inside of the auditorium. When Lincoln managed to get to his seat there, he was pleased to see that Clyde and a few of his friends weren't too far away. At the same time, he noticed the looks of worry and concern upon some of his female friends' faces.

"_Ay, Dios Mio_; Lincoln...are you okay" Dolores cried while hugging her bestie close, "when Clyde told us about what happened at the gym, we got so worried!" In response to this, several of the other Gal Pals murmured fearfully and asked Lincoln if he was okay. "I'm fine, everybody; really" he muttered, "a little sore and humiliated...but fine."

As he showed some of the Gals the marks he received; Tonya and Ellie's faces suddenly glowed so red, it looked as though they might explode. They also swore that if the principal didn't plan on busting those responsible, their mothers certainly would do it themselves. "We're just happy you're okay, Lil' Dude" Phoebe said while ruffling his hair, "I'm sorry we weren't there to help you out when you needed a friend."

Lincoln smiled softly at his lady friends and kissed ach of their hands in thanks. "I know you'd all have my back, if you were there to witness each of my bad moments" he stated, "but it's like you said on the first day back, Phoebe; there will come times where I'll have to face my own battles...and this was one of those times." Though she couldn't deny the truth behind his words, Phoebe still cursed herself for ever saying such a thing to him.

But before they could talk anymore on the issue, Principal Ramirez walked up onto the stage and turned on the microphone. The instant the feedback noise sounded off, the entire room went as silent as the grave. "Good afternoon, students; I'm sorry to have summoned you all here during your final classes" she said in greeting, "but we've got an important announcement to make."

From here; she went on to say how Mr. Richter, the school's assistant principal for more than twenty-seven years, has gone into early retirement. "Do not panic, students; he is still alive and well" Miss Rain added suddenly, "Mr. Richter's wife had simply been given a new position for her own job out of state, over the break; which means they had to move away." Upon letting this news sink in, Lincoln suddenly felt a small sense of irony wash over him; remembering how similar circumstances brought Ronnie Anne to move away as well.

Miraculously, this small yet somewhat pleasant memory managed to help lift Lincoln's spirits...but only just a little. "Because of Mr. Richter's untimely departure, the school has set out to try and find someone new to take his place" Principal Ramirez explained, "and due to a certain series of...events that have happened this week, I do believe we've picked the right person for the job." The moment he said this, every one of the students started coming up with their own ideas on what the new Vice Principal would be like.

Some hoped they would be someone sexy, male or female; others (like Biff) hoped they had a love for sports. Meanwhile, everyone else shared one single thought on this news; whoever Principal Ramirez picked, they hoped that he or she would be someone kind. Then; at that moment, the lights went off and a spotlight shined upon the curtains behind the staff on stage.

After that, a strange yet still rather pleasant piece of music began to play on the speakers. It sounded like a mix of piano music with a dash of electronic music notes. Even though it was difficult to properly describe it, everyone really liked the tune; especially Lincoln.

Then, a parasol suddenly poked out from behind the curtain; startling the staff on stage. When it opened up, everyone could see an image of the British flag plastered on it. On the center of the flag was what looked like a heart that showed off a rainbow of beautiful colors.

Not long after that, the parasol suddenly began to spin and everyone started to wonder if whoever was on stage was some sort of entertainer. Finally, after waiting for what felt like ages; the mystery figure finally spoke...or rather, laughed. "Well, merry and good day to you; dear students" the figure greeted pleasantly, "since we are going to be working in your hallowed halls from here on out; perhaps, some proper introductions are in order."

With that said; the figure stopped spinning their parasol, closed it up and slung it over their shoulder like a bindle. This allowed everyone to get a good look at their new principal...and they were quite a sight to see. On the surface, the stranger looked like a typical man; with their thin yet strong build, their tone legs and tone of voice.

But at the same time; this person wore red lipstick, wore a tie-dye colored crop beneath their long-sleeved teal blazer, knee-length jeans and shoes that almost resembled a pair of pink ballet slippers. Their hair was short yet poofy and looked almost mauve in color. But after taking a closer look; everyone could also see faint streaks of dull blue, dull purple and even a bit of light magenta.

Their eyes were a bright teal color, they sported a small pair of half-rim glasses that rested at the tip of their nose; which were held around the neck by a silver chain. The stranger then took a moment to clean said glasses upon their shirt before greeting each member of the faculty with a handshake. "Good afternoon to you all, young students and faculty" they said kindly, "we look forward to getting to know each of you soon...but in the meantime, let's take a moment for you to get to know _us _first."

After saying this, they asked Miss Rain to wheel over a marker board for him to use for their introduction; which she happily provided. Then, the stranger proceeded to write Mx. Sasha Baskerville upon the board. Almost immediately, everyone felt incredibly confused by the "Mx." at the start of the new vice principal's name.

"Everyone, we trust you can read this clearly enough" they asked, "our name is Sasha Baskerville and the 'Mx' at the start of my name sounds a touch like 'misc;' it is an honorific title people like us use to describe what we are...genderfluid or as you scientific lot would call, 'non-binary.'" Upon hearing this, the students all gawked at "Mx." Baskerville oddly; acting as though their newest vice principal was speaking in an alien language. As if they were expecting this, Mx. Baskerville decided to offer up an explanation.

"To elaborate, little dearies; we're going to need someone to join us here on the stage" they stated, "who among you is...Mr. Lincoln Loud?" For a moment or two, all was quiet; save for maybe one or two students coughing slightly. Then, with a rather timid voice; Lincoln raised his hand up high and got out of his seat.

Then, after he made his way down the stairway; he got up on stage and said hello to Mx. Baskerville. "We've heard quite the kerfuffle about you, young man" they stated, "living among so many ladies for thirteen years, the family trial and now, we hear you've been facing a rather deucedly painful bullying situation." No sooner had they said this, Mx. Baskerville asked if any of Lincoln's wounds were still visible.

"Well, uh...Mx.; they aren't exactly wounds" the Loud boy murmured hesitantly while holding out his arms slightly, "they're just a few bruises on my sides...and back...and a few spots on my feet." With great care, Lincoln raised the side of his shirt slightly and Mx. Baskerville began to study his side intently. "Hmm...yes, we can still see a few lingering hither and yon" they murmured thoughtfully, "did you have a slip upon the floor whilst some of the other students were assaulting you?"

Without pause, Lincoln revealed that while he didn't slip and fall on the floor; the near relentless towel-snappings _did_ cause him to fall over one of the benches. "That's how I ended up on the floor when Coach Keck found me" he stated, "but don't worry...my noggin's still okay." Though pleased to see and hear that Lincoln was relatively unharmed from the experience, Mx. Baskerville was nonetheless disappointed in the other students.

"Back in Oxford, when we were around this lad's age; we were faced with a similar crisis" they stated, "we were often viewed as...eccentric due to our unique way of looking at the world and our tendency to...flip-flop, if you will, betwixt different 'gender-oriented preferences.'" Feeling intrigued; the students listened as Mx. Baskerville openly expressed their love towards bird watching, sketching, playing sports (like Rugby,) watching plays and more surprisingly, their fondness for dressing up and cosmetic pleasures. "Just like Mr. Loud here, we also love going to the spa to relax" they said proudly, "it's like all your troubles are being scrubbed away."

Upon hearing this statement, not only did a few young ladies (both among the students and faculty) sound off in agreement. But Mx. Baskerville soon overheard a few boys react the same way as well...albeit with hushed tones. "Getting back to our earlier point, some of our own peers once heckled _us_ rather relentlessly for our 'feminine' interests and quirks; just as you have done to Mister Loud" they said firmly, "but we ask you, students and faculty...where is the harm in that?"

Following this question, the vice principal asked if anyone else among the students ever found themselves in Lincoln's situation at any point in their lives before. At first, there appeared to be no replies...until a handful of students (and even some other members of the school staff) rose from their seats. Afterwards, they began to reveal their own sort of sensitive/feminine sides; one by one.

Elliot: "A-After I started dating Margo, I...took up writing poetry and would recite my work to her to show her how much she means to me. The trashcan in my bedroom is filled with loads of paper wads because I'd always try to make the perfect piece for her.

Kaito: "I have an herb garden at home and not only do I like tending to it, I also use what I grow to help with my mother's cooking"

Theo: "On rainy days, I...I like to cuddle up with my pet cat on the sofa"

Omar: "I love cookin' at home with my mamas every chance I get and I also love singin' to my Mama Gail, whenever she comes home from work feelin' frazzled"

Bryon: "To help prep for my position as the school wrestling team, I...I-I've been taking...ballet lessons since last Spring! THERE, I SAID IT...but can you blame me? It all really helps me limber up and build my strength"

Chandler: "Whenever I visit my grandma, we always sit down and watch old period piece movies together and...and at least, one or _two_ of them makes me shed some tears! There, I said it!

Thus far; Lincoln, many of the other students and even Mx. Baskerville were amazed by all the different confessions that were being made. But then, the _teachers_ and other staff decided to join in and _their_ reveals were just as surprising.

Mr. Bolhofner: "My ex-wife and I always love watching Dream Boat together...and whenever a our favorite couples get matched up, I admit that it makes me get all...teary eyed"

Ms. Pham: "On my off-days, I always like hanging with my neighbors down at the roller rink for a derby run"

Principal Ramirez: "I enjoy having tea parties with nieces, when I visit them or when they visit _me._"

Officer Higgins: "Y'all may know my partners and me as tough, intimidatin', steely-eyed cops. But underneath all that...the three of us are as sweet as springtime peaches. I myself love playin' with my lil' pup, Sylvia"

Officer Simmons: "Just like my boy said; whenever I come home from work feelin' frazzled, he always sings a song to help cheer me up. I'm also the loving mother of a beautiful lil' lady, I have an equally gorgeous wife and I'm as sassy as I am sweet"

Officer Campos: "My husband, Esteban and I spend our free time sewing together. He says I make the most beautiful scarves...but I imagine he only says it to flatter me"

Coach Keck: "Well...I guess since everyone else is doin' it; at home...I...I have a flower garden that's filled with some of the prettiest flowers you'd ever see. Tulips, daffodils, daisies, hyacinths...I even have one or two rose bushes"

Upon making this confession, the coach took out her phone and brought up a picture. It was one that showed her wearing gardening clothes and sitting next to a fully blossomed daffodil patch during the Spring season. Lincoln, in spite of feeling mildly self-conscious towards his current situation, couldn't help but feel awestruck by how lovely all of the coach's flowers looked.

Meanwhile; some of the students, after hearing these confessionals, suddenly started snickering at those who made their confessions. This did not go unnoticed by Mx. Baskerville, much to their surprise. "Did we all say something amusing, little duckies" the asked suddenly, "care to share it with everyone else?"

Without delay, the first of the snickering students to speak up was Vicky; who proclaimed that everyone on stage and in the seats were "nothing but sissies." "Well...let me tell you something, Vicky; contrary to what people like _you_ think, I...I actually _like_ that about me" Lincoln declared softly yet proudly, "if being a sissy means being kind, sensitive, loving, loyal and an overall good person...then I'm _proud_ to be a sissy!" No sooner had he said this, the students and teachers who spoke up earlier echoed his words; proclaiming that they too felt equally proud to be "sissies."

"Times have changed in the world, dearies" Mx. Baskerville stated, "if more lads were like Lincoln and weren't ashamed to indulge in more 'girl things;' then, girls would feel inspired to do the same with 'boy things' as well." The instant this was said; the group of heckling students, along with Mordecai and Vicky, suddenly broke out in a fit of uproarious laughter.

"Yeah, that's a good one" chortled the faux hawk boy, "it'll rain cats n' dogs before any of us dudes do any girly stuff." As the small group nodded in agreement, an idea began to form in Mx. Baskerville's mind and they quickly called the other teachers over for a huddle. For about a moment or so, they whispered and chatted amongst themselves; only sharing brief glimpses towards the aforementioned group every so often.

When they broke apart, seconds later, Principal Ramirez quickly called for everyone's attention; causing most of the students to go quiet. "What you said earlier, young man...it's given us all an idea" the principal murmured slyly, "specifically about your punishment for the Gym incident...among other things." Upon hearing this, half of the group shivered with distress while the other half (specifically Mordecai and Vicky) simply shrugged indifferently.

"You all have violated this school's strict anti-bullying rule" Officer Campos said sternly, "as punishment for that and the week's worth of abuse you've inflicted upon Lincoln, you and your associates will spend the next month and a half prepping for the upcoming bake sale!" As if sensing that the group was either not listening or totally oblivious, Mx. Baskerville explained that they will help the Home Ec room bake as many pastries as possible. "You will listen to the teacher's instructions, follow them to the letter and work on each confection until you've achieved near perfection" they said firmly, "oh, dear...we've made a jolly little rhyme just now. Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Lincoln also found himself chuckling slightly, not _just _for the new VP's rhyme slip...but because he genuinely liked their quirky personality. Meanwhile, the group of guilty students started ranting and roaring with outrage over their punishment. "A MONTH AND A HALF OF COOKING...I'LL DIE OF BOREDOM" Vicky shrieked, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

Without letting the smallest bit of their joyful demeanor waver, Mx. Baskerville tapped the point of their parasol upon the stage floor; signaling for the officers to take the children off to the Home Ec. room. The instant he saw them step out the door; Lincoln plopped down onto the stage, threw back his head and gave a long sigh of relief. "Boy, am I ever glad _that's _over" he cried, "I hope that never happens to me a third time!"

At that moment, Lincoln suddenly felt himself being lightly hoisted up by the handle of Mx. Baskerville's parasol. Afterwards, they helped dust him off clean and patted the boy on the head kindly. "I'm afraid our actions are not a permanent solution, dear boy" they said sullenly, "we suspect they _will _act this way towards you again and if it does...you know where to find us."

With that said, Mx. Baskerville dismissed everyone else from the auditorium; while also wishing them a happy weekend. But before he left, Lincoln remained behind to express his thanks to the new vice principal for defending him. "It's quite alright, Mr. Loud" they said matter-of-factly, "we simply cannot stand by and watch other people harass others simply because they are different...it's utter poppycock!"

Once again, Lincoln had another chuckle; this time towards Mx. Baskerville's unique British vocabulary. He couldn't help but think that Luna would absolutely love them, for multiple reasons. "Again, thanks for standing up for me" Lincoln said gratefully, "how can I ever repay you?"

Without missing a beat, Mx. Baskerville shared two ways that the boy could repay them for their goodwill; by simply being himself, no matter what might happen next...and to know Lincoln's Strawberry Muffins recipe. "Heavens! When your teacher shared the ones you made with us, we and the other teachers simply fell in love at first bite" Mx. Baskerville squealed, "do you mind sharing your recipe with us?" Without being asked twice; Lincoln took out a notepad, scribbled down some things and handed it over to Mx. Baskerville.

With that settled, he said his goodbyes and made his way over towards the exit; where he was suddenly crowded by some of his guy and girl friends. "Oh, Lincoln, _mi amigo precioso_" Dolores cried while hugging Lincoln close, "are you okay, are you still hurting from the Gym incident, do you feel alright after doing all that speaking?!" The others began asking similar questions, all while also expressing their relief in seeing he was okay.

"It's okay, everyone; I'm fine" Lincoln chuckled softly, "I'm just...a little frazzled still from this whole experience." The instant he said this, Jordan asked if he'd like to spend their Saturday at the spa. But the instant she said this, the young lady clasped her hands over her mouth; remembering that it was activities like their spa days that got Lincoln into this mess.

"Don't sweat it, Jordan...I think it's an awesome idea" the boy said with gusto, "a little primping, some mani-pedis and even a massage is just what I need; after the kind of week I've had." In response to this; the older Gals squealed softly with joy, proclaimed "THERE'S OUR SPECIAL LIL' GUY" and enveloped Lincoln in a multi-sided group hug (the young Gals followed soon after.) Upon being released, Lincoln turned to his guy friends and asked if _they'd _like to accompany them.

"Are you serious, dude" questioned Rusty, "why would we spend our Saturday getting gussied up when you can be having fun?" With a toothy grin upon his face, Lincoln held out his hand to the boys and asked them to give it a chance...for him. "Oh...Aw, alright" Omar groaned softly, "but we're only doin' this because you're our main dude."

(Line Break)

As our story cuts to Saturday Morning, we find Lincoln at the Tranquil Springs Spa in the midst of a mani-pedi while his hair is being scrubbed. Not too far away, all eleven Gal Pals were also present and were being brought up to speed on what happened during the week. "Those creeps actually _said_ that to you all...the nerve" Carol hissed angrily, "and they did _what _to my Linky?!"

Clyde, who was in the midst of a shiatsu massage, nodded his head slightly; which seemed to make the other elder Gal Pals quite mad. "Well, I'm just happy your new vice principal was able to teach those jerks a lesson" Becky stated, "no one should be punished or picked on for being who they are; regardless of gender, their likes/dislikes or whatever else!" Clyde nodded slightly in agreement while also saying that everyone learned another lesson, that week.

The reason so many ladies liked hanging around Lincoln was because they adored him for his sensitivity and he loved _them_ for how accepting they were about who he truly was. "Most people try to fake that kind of thing" Clyde said with a relaxed sigh, "but not my buddy." Carol and her crew giggled softly in agreement, all while wishing that other boys could be just as sensitive. "Well, at least I'm a good start; right" he asked, "and I think the others are not too far behind either."

Upon saying this, Clyde cast a glance over at another area of the spa. There; his other guy friends were busy getting their hair tended to, being given face masks, having their nails done or just peacefully soaking in the hot tub. "Ahh...you were right, my man" Big O sighed blissfully while resting in a Jacuzzi, "this _doe_ feel good."

Mere seconds later, the other boys droned softly in agreement with relaxed voices. Lincoln chuckled softly at this, feeling pleased to see five more men/boys enjoying the spa life. Then, from the corner of his eye; he swore he spotted his sister, Lynn coming through the main entrance.

The moment she did, Fernando greeted her with a joyful clap and a double cheek kiss; just like he would with Carol. "Hey, uh...do you have any room for one more at the...massage parlor" Lynn asked shyly, "I've, uh...pulled a muscle during track the other day and could use some relief." Without hesitation, Fernando nodded his head and escorted the young lady to the front desk; where she would receive her complimentary robe.

"Huh...I guess it's true" Lincoln chuckled softly at the viewer, "softies _can _come from anywhere...male or female."

(First AN: I've been wanting to do this particular oneshot for quite a while. Ever since I first heard the song Everyone is Gay by Great Big World on YouTube and after watching the episode Roughin' It several times over, I thought this would be a great topic for Lincoln to deal with. I guess one could call this a "sequel" to the aforementioned episode.

In any case, I hope you'll all like it and will feel inspired to be yourselves as well; even if you're softies at heart like Linc is)

(Second AN: Speaking of songs, the two titles that are mentioned in this oneshot come from two different sources. The Hardest Part of Breakin' Up, for example is actually a song done by a band called 2Gether; which is a group from the late 90's.

As for Isn't It Love, it's a tune from the Cartoon Network series; Steven Universe. The artist's name in this story, Estella Sugar, is actually a play on words for two of the cast members/creative staff members' names. Estella is based on Estelle, the voice of Garnet; while the last name of Sugar is in reference to the show's creator, Rebecca Sugar.

Both songs are the property of their respective artist, not me. So, please; do not sue me)

(Third AN: Since the original series, the Loud House is known for being inclusive with its characters; I thought it would be interesting to make a character who is known to be "genderfluid" or "non-binary." If I've made any errors in my depiction of Mx. Baskerville's character, I apologize. I spent many days trying to do the right kind of research on the two gender identities, thinking one of them would fit my character correctly.

As for their appearance, I owe _that _to Steven Universe as well; in a way. Mx. Baskerville's appearance and entrance music in the auditorium are lightly inspired by the fusion character known as Rainbow Quartz 2.0. Since I couldn't find any clear ideas on what genderfluid and/or non-binary figures _looked _like, I felt Rainbow's look was just the right idea. Again; if I've made any mistakes in regards to a non-binary figure's appearance, I apologize)

(Fourth AN: While there hasn't been any mention of Royal Woods having a Vice Principal just yet, I decided to create the name of one myself; for the sake of this story. Mr. Richter is not a true character of The Loud House series, for those wondering. Any relation he might have with such a figure within the original series is purely coincidental)

(Fifth AN: Ironically enough, there _is _an actual female version of Lincoln within the series and her name truly _is _Linka. After seeing the character in question in One of the Boys, I thought it would be fitting to have her image be used by the bullies to mock Lincoln with. As for Claire McBride, Clyde's genderbent self; while she hasn't actually appeared in the series yet, one _can _find her image on the Loud House Wiki page)

(Sixth AN: Two of the bullying kids in this story, heavyset kid with tall blonde hair and faux hawk kid, are a pair of side characters from the original series. Their most prominent appearance is the scene where they mocked Lincoln for "being in love with Ronnie Anne" back in Save the Date. I figured that these two, Mordecai and Vicky would be the perfect clods to pick on Lincoln for his quirks; for the sake of the plot.

This is not meant to be seen as a "Lincoln Torture Porn" fic, rest assured)

(Seventh AN: Hypothetically speaking; if I were able to give this oneshot its own title card like the episodes have in the show, here's what it would look like. Since the title is a loose parody of "fender bender," "Gender Bender's" title card would have a pair of cars coming at each other; the left one showing the symbol for Male on its front bumper and the right one having the symbol for Female on theirs. Lincoln's face would be seen on a traffic cone standing between the two cars, to symbolize how both gender identities would become an issue for him in the story.

I hope that all makes sense to you, it's just a weird idea of mine...too bad I can't do fanart)

(Final AN: This oneshot was also made as a response to all those guest reviewers who complained about Lincoln hanging out more with girls than he did with boys. Sometimes, individuals feel more comfortable around a specific group. In Lincoln's case; since he was surrounded by ladies his whole life, he might enjoy the _Gals_ company just as much as he does Clyde's. I hope you'll all understand my point, after you've read this for yourselves and to any guest reviewers who might _still_ find issue with the way things are here...just don't read the story.

It's as plain and simple as that)


	24. A Love Labor Lost - Part One

A Love Labor Lost with the Gal Pals – Part One

(Story Summary: WINTER ARC FINALE! Valentine's Day is fast approaching, once again and everyone in Royal Woods is busily preparing for the big day; including Lincoln, who's having...a bit of trouble trying to decide his own plans for the holiday. Meanwhile; his sister, Luna feels there is nothing to celebrate on the so called "day of love" for her. Will these crises be remedied in time or will there be a great deal of heartbreak in Royal Woods this year?)

It was the middle of February down in Royal Woods, winter was still in affect and the entire town was lightly coated in freshly fallen snow. But in spite of these conditions, the townspeople had just the thing to keep them warm...love! The date was February 9th and everyone, young and old was making plans for a very special day; Valentines Day.

Now, there were those (like Lisa) who often attempted to "educate" those around them on what the holiday was really about; which often involved the legends a priest named Saint Valentine who was said to have healed the sick during the time of Ancient Rome. Others in town claimed that the "holiday" was nothing more than a money making scheme made by card companies and shopping outlets. But as for the _rest_ of Royal Woods and beyond, Valentine's Day was a day of love and romance.

All across town, couples and families of all kinds shared their love with one another in many ways. Some, like Lynn Loud Sr. used their skills to craft something sentimental for their special someone. Others meanwhile choose to purchase something for their special someone; like flowers, candy or other items.

Yup; all around, you could find couples of all kinds falling under the spell of Valentine's Day...except for two small places, which is where our story will soon be taking us.

(Line Break)

As the scene cuts over to Royal Woods Middle School, we find that the students and staff were already making plans for the big day. "Here's the thing" Clyde said to his friends in the cafeteria, "I was thinking of either taking Chloe down to Jean Juan's for a special Valentine's dinner...or making something for her myself, what do you all think?" All around the table, the other members of the Guy Squad began sharing their opinions on their bestie's idea.

Speaking of which, the squad grown in numbers somewhat; since January. Sometime (as in approximately a week or so) after the events of what some students liked to call the "Identity Crisis," a good chunk of other male students felt inspired to be more true to themselves. Furthermore, some of them thought it was "pretty rad" of Lincoln to remain true to who _he_ was; in spite of the remarks people like Mordecai sent his way (among other things.)

As a result, Lincoln asked if they'd like to hang with his crew...and they accepted. At first, things felt a little awkward between all of them; due to Lincoln and Co. believing the other boys were simply trying to fool them. But after a while, they soon realized they had quite a bit in common.

Lincoln and Kaito had many conversations about gaming, Clyde shared some baking tips with Elliot and Byron; Zach and Theo found a common love for science fiction and so on. In the end, the OG Guy Squad members thought it was nice to be finding their place among the other male students; especially Lincoln. One other common thing they shared was a strong dedication to the special ladies in their lives.

As such, they often shared advice with one another on dating ideas or learning whether or not someone "like-liked" them. In this particular situation; some of these boys, like Omar and Liam, thought that Clyde's DIY Valentine gift idea was a good option to go with. But others, like Rusty and Elliot thought that dinner together at a popular place like Jean Juan's would be a bit more romantic.

Meanwhile, Zach proclaimed that while both ideas sounded cool; he didn't have much of an opinion on the overall discussion. "C'mon, dude; are you telling me you're _still_ getting cold feet about asking Giggle...I mean, Cori out" questioned Rusty, "we've told you before, she totally digs you!" Without a moment's pause, Omar quickly seconded his words; adding that all Cori seemed to talk about was how fun Zach was to hang with.

"I know and...and I think she's fun to hang with too" he murmured, "but I still can't help but think she and I would just feel awkward around each other." Before anyone had the chance to speak up, Zach suddenly went on a tangent about how funny Coriander was and how much more interesting she was compared to him. "I mean...She's an aspiring comic, she's got a strong extroverted personality and is unafraid to be herself" he mumbled dejectedly, "I'm just Zach Gurdle, the boy who thinks aliens beam signals into your head whenever the fluorescent lights flicker!"

The instant his rant ended, Zach sat in his seat panting heavily; completely oblivious to all the other students (sans his friend group) who were staring at him. After a moment or two of silence, Omar approached Zach and lightly patted him on the shoulder with his big hand; hoping the gesture would calm him down. "Look, my man; you say all that stuff is somethin' Cori will hate you for" he asked knowingly, "well...if ya ask me, it's those very things she finds so appealing about you."

Soon after this, the other boys sounded off in agreement; adding that it was Zach's quirks that Cori found so amusing. "Also...you didn't hear it from me, dude" Theo whispered, "but...I think Cori's taken up an interest in a couple of musicians/music groups you've been a fan of for years." When asked by the others who it was that she'd been listening to, the young man answered with only two names; Max Modem and Zanzibar.

"Dude...you're just messing with me" Zach retorted in disbelief, "she actually _listened_ to the Zanzibar single I recommended...and _liked it?_" Rather than answer his BFF outright, Rusty smiled and gestured for him to turn around. Upon doing so, Zach spotted Cori walking by with her tray in hands.

The instant she passed the Guy Squad's table, everyone could hear her rhythmically muttering the word "doo, doo, doo" under her breath; which the boys immediately recognized as the song "What Do It Do" by Zanzibar. When she happened to spot Zach from the corner of her eye; Cori briefly stopped singing, gave him a wink and continued walking over to her table. "Eh, eh; what did we tell you, dude" Rusty said while slyly nudging Zach's arm, "Giggles _totally_ digs you, which means it's the perfect opportunity to ask her to be your Valentine."

After taking a moment to let everything sink in, a light blush suddenly appeared on Zach's face. After that; he smiled shyly, hid his face away in his hands and murmured "I...I'll think about it."

Seeing this as a win, the rest of the boys let out a hearty cheer in victory while also wishing Zach luck on his eventual Valentine proposal. Then, all eyes slowly turned towards the one remaining boy at the table...Lincoln.

"What about you, dude" questioned Clyde, "what kind of plans do you and _your_ family have in mind for the big day?" For a moment or two, Lincoln didn't answer; he simply stared blankly at his friends with a sullen look on his face. Then, much to their surprise; Lincoln proclaimed that he didn't really have much of _anything _planned for Valentine's Day...aside from chilling at home, of course.

"I mean...sure, some of my sisters have their own thing" he confessed, "but I just...I dunno, I'm just not feeling in the mood for it." To say that this statement shocked the other boys would be putting it too mildly. To them, it felt like Lincoln had put a bullet through their hearts with each word he said.

"Okay, dude...real talk here" Kaito murmured, "I gotta tell ya this, as a friend...what you just said sounds like the biggest load of bologna I've ever heard and I don't even _like _bologna!" No sooner had he said this, the rest of the boys were also quick to call "shenanigans" to Lincoln's Anti-Valentine mojo...save for one; Clyde. "Hold on a second, guys" he interjected suddenly, "Linc wouldn't be saying all this if he didn't have a reason."

After taking these words to heart; Elliot found himself agreeing with his pal's words and suggested that maybe, Lincoln was probably feeling left out on the "romantic fun" by being the only single guy among them. "Okay; first of all, _I'm_ single too" Omar said suddenly, "second of all, most single folks can _still _have fun on their own or find people to show love to on Valentine's Day." The moment this was brought up, Lincoln rose from his seat and proclaimed that being single wasn't the reason he felt so low.

Of course, as a result of this minor outburst; a few students could be seen snickering at him softly...but Lincoln didn't seem to care. "I say again, me being single isn't why I'm so glum about Valentine's Day" he said in a hushed tone, "in fact, the vast majority of my family has been going nuts in preparing for it."

(The camera flashes and shows a series of scenes involving other couples all over town. The first one shows Lynn Sr. heading off to the grocery store, collecting bundles of food items for a special meal he has planned for his wife; Rita. He also pops by the flower shop to pick up a bouquet of her favorite flowers, violets)

(Another scene shows Bobby and Lori at Fairway, making their own food art of each other's faces with several of the cafeteria's food items)

(The next one shows Lucy writing two poems in one of her "private spots" at home, one poem for each of her two crushes; Rocky and Silas)

(The final scene shows lil' Lily making a cute drawing for her "crush," which is actually her favorite toy teddy bear)

"And all those examples..._that _was just the tip of the iceberg" Lincoln exclaimed, "for the past few days, nearly every member of my family has been under Valentine's Day's spell." To elaborate, Lincoln began to tell the boys about a few other love-themed scenarios surrounding his family. One such example involved Chaz, who decided to pop in and visit Leni at work with a box of chocolates.

But when she opened up the box, she was surprised to see that a small number of the candies had been eaten up. When she was about ask for an explanation from Chaz, she noticed that there were faint traces of chocolate lingering on his lips. "'Uh...Sorry about that, hon'" Lincoln chuckled nervously in Chaz's voice, "'I got a little hungry on the way here and...I snuck a few; please, don't be mad.'"

Now, Lincoln and the boys knew full well that in any normal situation; some ladies _would _take offense with their lover eating half of their box of chocolates...especially if it was a gift. But as we've come to learn about Leni, she was far from being a "normal" teenaged girl. Thus, Lincoln said that instead of being upset with Chaz for eating some of the chocolates; Leni still warmly accepted his gift and thanked him in the typical manner (with a strong hug and a loving kiss upon his lips.)

"'I just knew you'd get me chocolates and I was actually planning on sharing these with you anyway'" Lincoln explained while mimicking Leni's voice, "'plus...you picked out all the coconut and peanut ones, I do _not_ like coconut!'" After the Squad softly applauded Lincoln for his impression skills, he explained how relieved Chaz felt in that moment and how thankful he felt for Leni's accepting heart. After that was settled; Chaz returned Leni's hug and wished her a happy Valentine's Day, before leaving Reininger's.

"Truth be told, as much Leni loved the chocolates; she was more happy about being back on more loving terms with her beau again" Lincoln stated, "same thing could be said with a few of my other sisters as well." Feeling curious, the boys asked who else among his sisters had reconciled with their special somebody. "Oh, man; where do I begin" Lincoln said with a chuckle, "well...to start with; the other day, Luan was down at Benny's house...sharing some cocoa with him and snuggling together beneath a warm blanket."

Before continuing, he stressed to his friends that what he would say next was 100% true; no matter how crazy it sounded. After everyone decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; Lincoln went on to explain how at the same time...the couple's puppets, Mr. Coconuts and Mrs. Appleblossom, were also "sitting together" at the foot of the sofa and appeared to be holding each other's hands. After hearing all this; the boys, in spite of themselves, couldn't help but find the story rather touching.

"Seems like both Cupid _and _Fate have been pretty good to your family, this year" Byron chuckled, "but what about you, don't _you_ have anyone special to share Valentine's with?" Almost immediately; the rest of the boys came to one unanimous answer to this inquiry, the Gal Pals. "Seriously, dude; you don't know how lucky you are to have ladies from _two _different age groups who love you to death" Rusty exclaimed, "to be honest...it makes guys like me feel jealous."

In spite of the Spokes boy's poor choice of words on the second half of his statement, Clyde found himself agreeing with him. "Look, guys...I'm not trying to seem rude here in saying this" Lincoln sighed, "but the reason I feel bummed about Valentine's Day is...both silly _and_ complicated at the same time and I don't know if you'd understand." Without missing a beat, the boys immediately swore that they _would _be able to understand, however "complicated" the issue might be.

"Well...it's like I said before, my family has been working non-stop on their V-Day plans/preparations" Lincoln stated, "all...except for one or two of them, that is." Despite the overall vagueness in Lincoln's words, some of the boys were thinking up ideas on just who among his sisters were having relationship issues. After a while, the likes of Kaito and Elliot were able to come up with _one _idea; someone who was well acquainted with their respective girls; Lynn Jr.

Upon reaching this conclusion, they didn't find the idea all that surprising. There was only one boy whom they knew Lynn (supposedly) had feelings for, a fellow sports playing teen named Francisco. Despite the two of them often playing on opposite sides in several sports, including Baseball; he and Lynn seemed to have hit it off rather quickly.

But then, one day; she just suddenly stopped seeing him altogether. Of course, many believed that Francisco _chose_ to distance himself due to the family drama Lynn got herself caught up in. But then, the Guy Squad recalled how often Lynn insisted that she was never that into Francisco and that she was "just dehydrated" on the day they first met.

Despite these claims, however; there were small moments where Lynn would find herself looking on longingly, whenever she spotted Francisco at certain places. Yet even now, after choosing to chill out on her old behavior; she barely spoke that much to Francisco...if at all. Many, like Kaito chose to believe in her old claims; that romance just wasn't really "her thing."

Others, meanwhile presumed that there might've been something "wrong" with her (mentally speaking,) claiming she felt never felt any romantic attraction for Francisco at all. Then, there a small number simply chose to believe that Lynn lacked the proper emotional maturity to ever allow herself to find love.

In any case, Lincoln believed that Lynn may come around about her feelings...eventually. With that settled, it was now time to focus on the _other_ elephant in the room. But when they tried to question him about the other sister in question, Lincoln hesitated.

"I...I really want to tell you, guys...but I can't" he murmured uneasily, "it's my sister's personal business and I know from experience that she wouldn't like me sharing it to my peers without her say-so." Almost immediately, Rusty called "shenanigans" to Lincoln's refusal to speak up; adding that he'd technically "broken the promise" already by speaking about _Lynn's _issues. "I know I did and I'm sorry that I even said anything" Lincoln groaned sadly, "but I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice and I mean it!"

Realizing that there was little chance in getting their bestie to keep talking, the other boys decided to respect his wishes for privacy and promised not pry any further. However, they still felt anxious to learn of the _other _reason why Lincoln felt hesitant about celebrating Valentine's Day and decided to question him about _that._ "Okay, here it is; the other reason I'm stressing is...I can't decide what I should do" the young Loud boy groaned, "no matter what ideas I think up, it just doesn't feel good enough for _any_ of the Gals!"

Soon after he said all this, everything became clear to the boys. With one or two of his sisters feeling so down about Valentine's Day, he just couldn't get himself into the spirit either; let alone think up a gift for those he loves. "Well, in any case; I hope things will work out for you all in the end" Kaito said reassuringly, "now, if you'll excuse me...I have my own work to do before lunch period ends."

With that said, he swiftly finished up the remainder of his meal and went about making a special card for his own special lady...Maddie. Not long after that, the rest of the boys went to work on theirs as well. But while they worked, Omar watched Lincoln with a look of concern in his eyes.

After a while, he decided to ease himself down at an open area of the seat; one that was close enough for him to speak with Lincoln at. "Hey, man; you know you can tell _me _what's what, if anything's wrong...since we're godbrothers and all" he whispered softly, "who else among your sisters is bummin' about Valentine's Day?" After making certain that none of their other friends could hear them, Lincoln leaned in closely and whispered one word into Omar's ear; "Luna."

"I'll tell you about it later" he stated, "once we're out in the halls and the others have gone off to class." Omar gave a soft nod in acceptance, followed it up with a "a-okay" gesture and went back to finishing up what remained of his lunch. When Lunch Period eventually, came to an end; Lincoln said his farewells to the rest of the "Guy Squad" and walked off to his next class.

At that point, he and Omar met up again and they decided to resume their earlier conversation. "Okay, I think the close is clear now...so to speak" Omar whispered while taking notice of a few small numbers of students passing by, "_now_, can you tell me what's goin' on with Luna?" Before answering, Lincoln found himself at a sort of mental crossroads; wondering if he should be doing this at all.

"Just remember, Linc; Luna's just as much _my _family as she is yours" Omar said matter-of-factly, "so...if anything's wrong, I think I should know." Lincoln couldn't help but smile softly at his friend, admiring how dedicated he was to helping anyone he considered his family. "Okay, I'll tell you" he sighed heavily, "but if _any _of my sisters ask how you know about this...please, for both our sakes...keep quiet."

Not only did Omar seal this promise by performing a zip and lock gesture over his lips. But he added that if any of the Loud Sisters would attempt to gang up on him for having knowledge of this secret, his mothers would know...and they might not take kindly to such things. "Very true, dude; very true" Lincoln chuckled softly, "let's just hope things don't come to that." With that matter settled, he began to share the reason behind his sister's sadness towards Valentine's Day.

"Long story short; back when all the bad stuff was going down between me and the family, loads of my sisters' loved ones weren't very pleased with what they've heard about it" Lincoln explained, "the ones who seemed to be the most upset by it all were my older sisters' boyfriends...and girlfriend." Before Omar had the chance to speak up, Lincoln stopped him and said that the "girlfriend" in question was someone close to Luna. "Yeah, man; I think I know who y'all are talkin' about" Omar gasped, "it's Miss Sam Sharp, right...one of Luna's fellow rockers?"

Without missing a beat, Lincoln immediately responded this with an "on the nose" gesture. "Yeah...I think I remember hearin' what happened between them, long ago" Omar sighed, "but I thought things would be cool again between those two, after Luna did her time with the rest of her family." Lincoln hung his head low, sighed and expressed his own confusion on the situation.

"From what Luan told me; Luna and Sam _did _decide to start over, when the new school year started" he stated, "but at the moment, the latter preferred that they'd stay friends." To say that this reveal felt heartbreaking to Omar would be a gross understatement. Though he himself had yet to experience such a situation, he knew full well that both sides of most couples _dreaded _the "friends' card."

"That _does _sound pretty bad, doesn't it" Omar said matter-of-factly, "but at least, the two of them are still tight...right?" Lincoln nodded slightly and revealed that the two of them still hung out together, whether it was at school or during band practice. But at the same time, it all just felt incredibly awkward for both Luna _and_ Sam.

"Both sides have tried talking things out, in the past" Lincoln stated, "but every time they did, they'd...they'd either choke or stammer like nervous goobers!" After finishing his story, the poor boy felt he was on the verge of a panic attack. Thus, he took a moment to breathe calmly to settle his nerves.

Once his mind was calm again, Lincoln concluded his statement by proclaiming that until his two sisters were happy again; it just wouldn't feel right for him to try and do anything for Valentine's Day...even if it meant possibly upsetting or disappointing the Gals. "Wow, just...wow; that's some heavy stuff, my man" Omar gasped softly with shock, "what about Sam, is _she _feelin' the same stress Luna's been under?" Unfortunately, Lincoln didn't know how to answer; considering the fact that he never actually interacted that much with Sam before.

"I _have_ however, been keeping tabs on her through her little brother, Simon" Lincoln stated, "even though we don't go to the same school, we chat together on the Ace Savvy Fan Forum online." Feeling curious, Omar asked where this Simon kid went to school at; to which Lincoln replied with "Royal Woods Elementary." "He's currently in 5th Grade now" he explained, "but I first met him down at the Convention Center last Spring...When I realized who he was, I was dumbfounded."

Moving right along; Lincoln said that since their separation, Sam (according to Simon) was like a shadow of who she used to be. "I'd say more...but I gotta get to class soon" Lincoln said suddenly, "just remember, not a word of this to any of my sisters." Once more, Omar did a lip-sealing gesture; ending it with a "toss of the key" and went off on his way.

Meanwhile, as Lincoln went off for his next class; his heart ached over what he had just said. _"I really hope Luna's okay right now"_ he thought to himself, _"nobody deserves to be sad on a day like today...or alone."_

(Line Break)

As our story now takes us to Royal Woods High (specifically, the Gym;) we find Luna, sitting with the rest of her class for Free Period and sadly strumming away at her guitar. Meanwhile, everyone else around her was either using the free time to get ahead on their work...or to discuss plans for Valentine's Day weekend. Any time she heard her peers softly giggling or making "lovey-dovey" looks at one another, Luna found herself glowering at them slightly in indignation.

For the final layer of icing on the cake, she looked towards the east side of the Gym and spotted Sam; who was chatting idly with her fellow bandmates, George and Ruth. _"Why here...why now, of all times"_ Luna whispered to herself miserably, _"can't Karma give me just a little bit of a break for a change?"_ Despite however upsetting Sam's presence made her feel, at the moment; Luna's overall curiosity about her conversation with the others felt much stronger by comparison.

Unfortunately; due to how far away she was sitting from the trio, Luna couldn't tell what exactly they were discussing about. This prompted her into doing something rather foolish, she sought out to get in closer. At the same time; Luna didn't want to rouse too much suspicion and thus, chose to try and be as discrete as possible.

As she moved in closer; Luna took shelter behind stacks of gym mats, hid behind groups of students and ducked behind a dodgeball rack. Now, you might think that such behavior would cause the other students to feel confused or worried. But much to Luna's surprise (and relief,) no one seemed to care that much about what she was doing to notice.

When she finally got close enough to where Sam was; Luna took a seat in a chair and turned her head slightly in their direction, hoping to clearly hear their conversation. "So, Sammy; you and the family got any plans for Valentine's this weekend" asked Ruth, "personally, I'm just gonna chill at home and watch some of my favorite Rom-Coms while snacking on some white chocolate my Mom got me." While the idea _was_ a good one, George felt surprised that his bestie didn't have a special someone to join her.

"Who said I'd be watching alone" Ruth giggled naughtily, "I'll be ringing up my BF on Social Media so we can have a video date." Upon hearing _this _part of the idea, George proclaimed that it was a good one to go on. "Just make sure you two have a good connection...your phones, I mean" he stated, "there's nothing worse than having your phone or computer lag while watching something together."

As the two rockers shared a soft laugh together; unbeknownst to them, Sam appeared to be slouching heavily. This demeanor however, did _not_ go unnoticed by Luna; who couldn't help but wonder why she was so down. When the duo _finally_ caught sight of Sam, George and Ruth immediately asked if she was okay.

"Yes...no...I don't really know, to be honest" murmured the young blonde, "all this talk of love and...couple plans, it just...it's just..." The more Sam tried to think up something to say, the harder it got for her to think of the right words. At one point, during this struggle; tears slowly began to well up in Sam's eyes.

Without hesitation, Ruth plucked a tissue out of her jacket pocket and used it to help dry her tears. "Jeez, Sammy...we're so sorry" she murmured apologetically, "we can talk about something else, if ya want." Upon sensing that her behavior was causing her friends strife, Sam blew her nose and apologized deeply to them.

"I've just been having a hard time thinking straight lately" she groaned softly, "all this talk of Valentine's and romance is just making me think of...you know." The moment this was said, Luna gasped softly in surprise; which almost led to her falling out of her chair as a result. When she managed to steady herself, a split-second later; Luna tried to listen in on the conversation again.

"We can...kinda understand what you're goin' through, Sammy" George murmured, "but it's been a year now, why haven't you talked things out yet?" For a moment or so, Sam didn't know how to respond. Truth be told, she had been asking _herself_ the same question since Summer Break ended.

"I...I really don't know, guys" she murmured shamefully, "I mean, I know Luna and her family paid their debt to society...I just can't shake off the fact that she kept such heavy stuff from me." From here; Sam explained that it wasn't so much the fact that Luna got into another fight with her sisters that bugged her. Rather, it was the behavior she exhibited towards the only brother she had that rubbed her the wrong way.

"But Lunes and her lil' bro are cool again, now" Ruth said reassuringly, "so, isn't she worth a second chance now?" At first, Sam felt that her friend and fellow band-mate had a point and that she should try and give Luna another chance. But then, she revealed that this wasn't the first time they had a...kinda-sorta falling out before.

"Are you talking about that whole 'Astonishing Quest' thing...girl, I thought we moved past that too" George groaned while facepalming himself, "so what if you guys aren't perfect for each other, you're good enough...isn't that worth _something?!_" Once again, Sam's friends managed to get her to understand the obvious. In spite of everything that went wrong during their "date" at the Quest; in the end, she and Luna still loved each other and were more than willing to discover new things they could enjoy together.

But in spite of this realization, Sam discovered yet another thing that set them apart; their sibling relationships. "I mean...sure; from what Lunes has told me, her bro's made some mistakes" she murmured to her bandmates, "but so has _my _little brother and yet; I never would've done things like blast them out of their room with guitar jams, force them to sleep in a doghouse or emotionally manipulate him to go to some stupid dance." To say that Luna was feeling smaller by the minute would be putting things mildly.

With each con Sam presented against her, Luna felt a pang of guilt tug heavily at her heart. It was as if Sam were stabbing her in the heart with each word she spoke. "We get it, Samurai; Luna screwed up" Ruth sighed, "but we _all_ do at some point in our lives...the best thing you can do is try and clear the air between you two."

With a frustrated groan, Sam threw her arms up high and shouted "don't you think I've been _TRYING!?_" Unfortunately for her, this small (albeit loud) outburst echoed all throughout the gym; which caused many students to look over her way in both confusion _and_ frustration. After taking a moment to calm down again; Sam once more, stressed on how much she'd tried to talk things out with Luna...only to choke at the last minute.

"Well, you better do something soon" George said while shaking his head in defeat, "because this whole schpiel has put a serious wrinkle in your work; both for school _and _for our band." Upon mentioning the latter circumstance, Ruth decided to help lighten the mood by asking Sam about a new song he heard she'd been working on. The moment this was mentioned, Luna let out a soft gasp of surprise; wondering what sort of song her crush attempted to make.

Meanwhile, without a word of reply; Sam unzipped her backpack, reached inside and pulled out what looked like a journal. She skimmed through a few pages until she stopped somewhere in the middle. For what felt like ages, Sam simply stood in place; staring down at the page in her journal in silence.

Then, in a matter of seconds; Luna watched as a startling scene began to unfold. With her journal clenched tightly between her fingers and a fierce scowl upon her face, Sam growled angrily and tore out the page she was reading from. Afterwards, she crumpled it up into a ball and threw it off to the side of the gym.

The whole time this was going on, Luna sat by and watched in stunned silence; feeling unsure of what to do next. Meanwhile, Sam told her friends that she needed to desperately needed to go somewhere to clear her head. "We totally understand, Sammy" George said while patting her back soothingly, "c'mon, we'll see if we can get you to the nurse's office for a bit."

With that, the trio proceeded on their way to speak with the coach; leaving Luna behind in her chair, alone. Once she made certain that the coast was clear, Luna used this opportunity to hurry over and pick up the paper Sam threw away. Afterwards, she stuffed it into her backpack; all while making sure not to damage it in any way.

(Line Break)

Time passed and everyone returned home after a long day of school. Upon entering the house, the kids could smell a rich aroma in the air; which meant that their dad was hard at work in the kitchen. When the kids looked inside; they found scores of pots, pans and used utensils piled up in the sink.

"Whoa! What happened here" Lana gasped in surprise, "did the dishwasher break again...I can take a look at it, if that's the case." Upon hearing his daughter's voice, Lynn Sr. turned towards her and waved his hands in dismissal; assuring everyone that nothing was broken. "I was just finishing up with making a few special Valentine's themed dishes for the restaurant" he stated, "of course, I made some samples for you and your mother to try...think of it as an early Valentine's gift from me."

After letting all these words sink in, Luna suddenly felt an icy chill of disgust run through her. On one hand, she always loved taste testing her dad's latest food creations. But in this case; since it was supposedly Valentine's themed, she felt the urge to make an exception.

Meanwhile, Lynn Sr. presented sample plates at the dining room table; instructing them to take a bite and share their opinions. From Creamy Tuscan Chicken, Five Cheese Marinara pasta, Cajun Butter Steak (a recipe he learned from Officer Simmons) to some classic dessert options (like chocolate covered strawberries; it all looked so good. "OM GOSH, Daddy; this all looks so good" Leni gushed excitedly, "did you really do all this yourself?"

Upon being asked this question, Lynn's face suddenly flushed red and he confessed that he may have had "a little help;" courtesy of the Lynn's Table cooking staff. "Well; it all looks very nice, honey" Rita said sweetly while kissing her husband on the cheek, "so much so, I feel guilty about eating any of it." No sooner had she said this, the kids all said the same thing (with the exception of Luna.)

"I know it looks good, gang...but I _really_ wanna hear your opinions on how it all _tastes_" Lynn urged softly, "so, please...could you sample a little of the food?" Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln volunteered to be the first taste tester and went over to the slab of chicken parm that was among the sample plates. With utensils in hand, Lincoln cut off a small piece of the chicken breast and popped it into his mouth.

The instant he did, his cowlick suddenly popped off his head and his eyes sparkled like fireworks. Upon recovering, seconds later; Lincoln wasted no time in savoring every second of flavor while chewing. When he finally decided to swallow his chicken slice, the Loud Sisters swore they heard a pleasured moan escape his lips.

"I'm guessing that you must've enjoyed it, dear brother" Lisa said monotonously, "why else would you make such a bizarre sound?" Upon realizing what he'd done; Lincoln quickly snapped out of his euphoric, dusted himself off and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, it...i-it's just...it tasted so good" he murmured blissfully, "it was as if a flavor bomb exploded in my mouth!"

This response not only seemed to please Lynn Sr. but the rest of the family as well. "Let me have the next taste, then" Lana insisted, "dibs on the fish food!" With that said, she rushed to the table and immediately sampled a bit of her dad's Lemon Garlic Shrimp.

The instant the citrus-y flavor of the lemon juices touched Lana's tongue, smoke shot out of her ears in the shape of hearts. Mere seconds after that, a blush appeared on her cheeks and a squiggly-line grin cut across her face. After finally swallowing the piece of shrimp, Lana turned towards her father and murmured three simple words; "that...was...amazing."

After hearing yet another positive review from his kids, Lynn's eyes slowly welled up with tears of joy. One by one, each of the remaining sisters sampled a little of their father's plates...save for one; Luna. Though the Beef Wellington in front of her looked to die for, something about it just seemed to fill the poor girl with discomfort.

Eventually, Lynn and Rita took notice of her behavior and asked if she was okay. "Oh...I'm sorry, dudes; I don't mean to be buggin'" Luna murmured sadly, "I just...I...well, it's complicated." Soon after she said this; she was mere moments away from explaining the reason behind her behavior when suddenly, the front door flew open.

Naturally, this caused everyone to either yelp in alarm or stumble slightly in surprise; making sure not to bump into the table. With an annoyed growl, everyone looked into the next room and saw Lynn; who had a broad smile plastered on her face. Normally, such an expression would be a rather pleasant sight.

But for some reason; on Lynn, it looked like one of those grins a crazy person would have. "Uh...Hey, Lynn; didn't see you come home on the bus with me earlier" Lincoln said nervously, "did...did something happen today?" The young jock offered no reply...save for a joyfully shrill squeal.

Pushing their overall concern to the side a little, Rita offered for Lynn Jr. to try one of the dishes on the dining room table. With the odd grin still present on her face, Lynn nodded slightly and made her way over to the steak plate. Things got even stranger when she cut off a small piece and started blindly tapping it against her teeth mindlessly.

"Okay...this is too weird, even for Lynn" Lola murmured, "she looks like how I did after I won my first pageant." Upon mentioning the memory, a sudden realization washed the family. "If what you're saying is true, honey; that must mean Lynn's happy about something" Lynn Sr. deduced, "wonder what it could be?"

As if expecting this, Lisa chimed in and suggested that the family asked her for themselves. "Just..._try_ not to come on too strongly about it" she muttered, "we don't want history repeating itself again." This statement not only caused the other Loud Sisters to blush shyly but Lincoln as well.

Over the years, each one of them had tendencies of getting wrapped up into their siblings' business; intentionally or not. Lincoln himself vividly remembered such moments whenever Ronnie Anne was in the picture. Thankfully, everybody chose to put a lid on such behavior; which left Rita and Lynn Sr. as the only meddlers left.

More to the point, the family breathed softly in unison and approached Lynn Jr. as casually as they could. "Uh...Hey, Sis; how was school today" Luan inquired uneasily, "judging from that grin, it feels like something big happened...care to talk about it?" Surprisingly, Lynn offered no comment to her request; only the same "joyful" squeal she made earlier.

Next, the parents tried to snap her out of this state by either repeatedly calling her name or snapping their fingers...but got nothing. "In situations like this, I recall reading that a good shock is just the thing to snap someone out of a daze" Lisa murmured, "but...seeing as how my machines were confiscated, I'm down to simply using a static jolt." With that said, she took a stand on the shag carpet just a few inches away from Lynn and began shuffling her feet.

"C'mon, brainiac; this is taking too long" Lana groaned, "I've got a quicker way to snap Lynn back to her senses." With that said, she pulled up her hat to reveal Hopps; her faithful pet frog (and one of the few animals Lana was allowed to keep.) "Time to go to work, buddy" she whispered playfully, "give my sister the ol' ear cleaner."

Upon hearing her say this, the entire family (save for Lynn) suddenly shuddered with disgust; as if knowing what was to come. Meanwhile, after he gave Lana a quick salute; Hopps hopped over onto Lynn's shoulder, opened up his mouth...and shot his tongue directly into her ear.

The instant it went into her ear canal, Lynn's smile contorted into a grimace and her pupils shrank with shock. Then, mere seconds after feeling the touch of the tongue's slimy saliva; Lynn suddenly let out a startled shriek and fell out of the chair. "OUCH! Hey, what's the big idea here" she grumbled while rubbing her sore arm, "why'd you sick your frog on me, Lana?"

Straightaway, the young grease monkey apologized for what had happened and helped Lynn up off the floor. "We totes didn't mean for that to happen to you, Lynn...the fall, that is" Leni murmured apologetically, "but you just had this...super weird look on your face and...you weren't answering us, when we tried to talk to you." After taking a moment to let all this info sink in, Lynn suddenly understood what was going on and also apologized for _her _behavior.

"It's okay, Junior; no harm done" Lynn Sr. assured, "now...care to tell us the reason you were so 'happy' before?" With this simple question, Lynn suddenly felt something she rarely ever felt; anxiety. Mind you, this wasn't the typical "I'm gonna screw this up" type of anxiety she felt during a game or a closing play.

From the blush on her face that suddenly formed to her shy body language, this looked like the sort of nervousness she felt during her first year of Junior High. For a moment or two, Lynn didn't offer up any reply to her dad's question; which made everyone feel both curious _and _worried. "It's okay, Lynn...you can talk to us" Lincoln said while resting a hand on her shoulder, "whatever it is...we won't judge you."

Despite the sympathetic tone behind her brother's words; Lynn feared that if she said what she was thinking, her family _would _judge her. But when she saw the kind looks in their eyes, Lynn's heart swelled slightly; which gave her just the push she needed. "Okay, guys; I'll talk" Lynn stated, "just...promise me none of you will laugh?"

Not only did everyone answer this plea with a resounding "I promise," they also performed the iconic "cross my heart and hope to die gesture." "Okay...here it goes" Lynn began with a deep sigh, "before I left for home, Francisco called me over for a chat." The instant they heard her mention the boy's name, a few of the Loud Sisters were mere seconds away from entering "Squee Mode."

But their father quickly stopped them, the moment he heard the girls take in an inhale; firmly reminding them about their promise to Lynn. "Okay...so, Francisco called you over for a chat" Lincoln surmised, "what happened next?" Before she continued, everyone could see Lynn's blush becoming an even brighter shade of red; which meant that this issue was serious.

"Well...Francisco asked me if I'd want to hang with him at the Burpin' Burger on V-Day" the young jock murmured shyly, "and...and I said yes." That did it; despite the promise the girls made, this reveal was a living example of a "mic drop moment." After giving a quick apology to both Lynn _and _their parents, eight of the nine Loud Sisters took in a deep breath and squealed with joy; especially Lily.

This lasted for almost twenty seconds, until Rita gave a shrill whistle; which caused them to immediately shut up. "Now, then...if what you're saying is true, Lynn; we are so proud of you" she said with a proud smile, "and here we thought you gave up on Francisco." After letting a soft chuckle escape her lips, Lynn muttered that all that was her "old self."

"I mean...it's like what Lori once told me" she stated, "'what good are is all the sports glory, if you don't have someone to share it with?'" After taking a moment to let all of this sink in, the girls wasted no time in expressing their joy on the situation. But Lynn quickly told everyone not to get ahead of themselves just yet.

"This is my first time with Cisco since our falling out" she stated, "I want to see if we can make that connection again." With her story now done, the parents walked over to Lynn and hugged her tenderly between them; assuring her that everything would turn out okay. Not long after that, the rest of the Sisters joined in and began sharing either praises or their own best wishes with Lynn...all but one.

During both the confession _and_ the family's lil' love fest towards Lynn, Luna hung back in the kitchen; looking at them with utter contempt in her eyes. In that moment, she couldn't decide which bothered her most; the fact that Lynn was able to win back _her _crush (so to speak) or the fact that everyone was getting so swept up in the moment. But in spite of it all, Luna tried her best to appear happy for her sister's good fortune.

Unfortunately, the smile she had on her face looked even stranger than the one Lynn had earlier. "Yeah, Lynn...that's awesome" Luna murmured through clenched teeth, "I hope...you and Francisco have _fuuun_ together!" Now, Rita was the first to sense that there was something amiss with her daughter and was prepared to ask what was wrong.

But then; at that moment, Leni suddenly went on a blissful tangent about how wonderful things would be if/when things went well between Lynn and Francisco. While this went on, Luna suddenly felt the anguish and stress swirling about inside her like a whirlwind. The more she listened to Leni go on about all the possible "date nights" the two of them could have together with the boys, the more frustrated she became.

Then, after what felt like ages of "lovey-dovey talk;" Leni said something that finally pushed Luna over the edge. "You know...at first, I had my doubts that you two wouldn't get back together again" she sighed blissfully, "but I'm happy Francisco was nice enough to give you a second chance, Lynn." Touched by her elder sister's words, Lynn swiped away a tear from her eye and held her in the tightest hug possible.

Unfortunately, not everyone felt moved by this scene; as the Loud Family would soon find out. Seeing her two sisters hugging coupled with Leni's earlier words filled Luna with such unbridled rage, she finally lost it. "OH...IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU THINK, YA BLOODY TWAT" Luna bellowed angrily in her cockney accent, "WELL, UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE REST OF YOU BUGGERS, LOVE AIN'T THAT EASY FOR THE REST OF US!"

As expected, this sudden and rather vicious verbal outburst from the usual mellow rocker in the family left everyone feeling utterly shocked. But before anyone could question her on this, Luna suddenly wailed loudly with sorrow and rushed upstairs to her room; slamming the door hard behind her. For what felt like ages, the family stood silent in the dining room; unsure of what to think or do.

"Boy...I feel like a real heel, right now" Lynn muttered shamefully, "here I am fussing about _my _issues while Luna seems to be the only one dealing with _real _genuine Valentine's drama. At first, Lincoln felt like contradicting his sister's claim, wanting to add his own issues to the situation. But just like Lynn did, he too realized that Luna's dilemma far outweighed was going on with _him._

That was when Rita and Lynn Sr. suggested for someone to go up and speak with her in private. Now, in the past; the Loud Siblings would decide who would do the task by performing the "dibs not it" nose touch. Whoever was the last to do this would be the one given the responsibility.

Furthermore; in the past, it was often _Lincoln _who'd be the "loser" of this "game" and _he _would be the one to shoulder the burden. But after seeing his sister in such a miserable state mere moments ago; Lincoln proclaimed that there was no need for it, this time and immediately volunteered. "Normally, Brother; I would question your motivations for choosing to serve as our volunteer" Lisa said bluntly, "but in this case, the situation is far too dire for debate."

With that said; she, the rest of the sisters and their parents all wished Lincoln luck in talking with Luna. Then, Lincoln slowly made his way up the stairs; mentally planning on what to say next. "It looks like things with Luna are even more dire than I originally thought" he whispered softly, "makes me feel...a guilty, to be honest."

After a while, Lincoln finally reached the hallway and made his way over to Luna and Luan's bedroom door. He had only rapped his knuckles once upon it, when he suddenly heard a sour guitar not sound off inside. _"Go away, you guys" _Luna's voice called out bitterly, _"I told you, I'm in no mood for anymore love talk."_

Without a second thought, Lincoln cleared his throat and told her that he came in peace. "I'm not here to lecture or annoy you with romance stuff, Luna" he murmured softly, "I just want to talk to you is all." After saying all this, all was quiet for several moments...which made Lincoln feel a little antsy.

During the silence, he hoped that Luna would show a little restraint with him; despite the mood she was in. After a while, the door finally opened up a crack; allowing Luna to peek outside slightly. "No offense meant, Bro...but why would _you _want to come cheer me up" she muttered sadly, "I figured you'd be on board with the others and start going nuts with romance, love...and other V-Day nonsense."

Much to even _his _surprise, Lincoln scoffed softly and proclaimed that he had been having some Valentine's troubles himself. "I mean...mine aren't quite as big as yours but still" he assured, "so, you wanna...I dunno, talk about it together?" There was a near bone-chilling silence, after Lincoln finished speaking; one that even the rest of the family could feel downstairs.

Finally, the door open wide to reveal Luna; who looked even more downtrodden than she did only minutes ago. "Okay, dude...I guess I could use some company" she muttered sadly, "come on in." Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln took Luna by the hand and followed her inside.

(First AN: And thus ends Part One of the Valentine's oneshot/Winter Arc Finale. What sort of secrets will Luna and Lincoln share together while in the room, will they manage to think of anything to solve either of their problems or will this Valentine's Day truly feel bittersweet for the both of them? Find out next time in Part Two of A Love Labor Lost)

(Second AN: The title of this particular oneshot is a light reference to the Shakespeare comedy, Love Labour's Lost. When creating this one, I thought making a parody version of the title seemed fitting; considering the overall synopsis)

(Third AN: Speaking of references, this oneshot has quite a few of them. For starters, the band called Zanzibar and the musician known as Max Modem that Zach is into are both artists from the Phineas & Ferb series. The song "What Do It Do" is one of my personal favorites and I couldn't help but think that it seemed like something Zach would be into.

Other references in this oneshot are those found in past episodes of the Loud House. Clyde being with Chloe for Valentine's is a reference to the ending of Brave the Last Dance, while Lynn claiming that her having a crush was "only because she was dehydrated" is a reference to Singled Out. As for George mentioning the "Astonishing Quest," _that_ was a reference to Racing Hearts)

(Fourth AN: Technically speaking, by being named the Loud Family's official court appointed caretakers at the near end of the OG Gal Pals story; this makes Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos the kids' official godmothers. This in turn makes the officers children *like Omar* their god-brother. I just thought I'd point that out, in case anyone of you might get confused by Omar's words in the cafeteria scene; thank you)

(Fifth AN: As of now; the "Guy Squad" no longer consists of just Lincoln, Clyde and their buddies. Now, it has grown slightly in numbers; after the events of the Gender Bender oneshot. For those curious; Byron was originally scene in episodes like Middle Men and Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow. Meanwhile; boys like Elliot, Theo and Kaito were first introduced in the episode Singled Out.

Rest assured, this oneshot will _not _be the last time you'll see these boys)

(Sixth AN: According to some fan theories, it's suggested that Lynn Jr. may possibly be "Asexual" or "Aromantic." The first term is meant to describe someone who lacks any sexual attraction towards someone. Whereas Aromantic, the latter term, describes having neither sexual _or _romantic feelings for others.

Rest assured, I'm not slamming people from either of the groups; I just can't fully side with the fan speculation, especially when the show itself gave us a lousy explanation for Lynn and Francisco's falling out. The way I see it, she may simply lack the overall emotional maturity to open herself up to others that way. But we'll leave that for the showrunners to decide, if at all)

(Seventh AN: While I'm aware that the show has officially dubbed Luna's fellow band-mates Mazzy and Sullivan; in the Gal Pals continuity, they will be known as Ruth and George. This is out of inspiration from a story made by one of my favorite SaLuna shippers, LunaLoudFan23. Just thought I'd clear that up is all)

(Final AN: The method Lana used to snap Lynn out of her blissful state, namely having Hopps shoot his tongue into her ear, is a reference to Disney's Tangled. It just felt like the perfect way to get her back to her senses)


	25. A Love Labor Lost - Part Two

A Love Labor Lost with the Gal Pals – Part Two

(Story Summary: PART TWO OF WINTER ARC FINALE! While talking with Luna, Lincoln learns that she's still in pain from her falling out with Sam last year. At one point during their conversation, Luna shows him the poem Sam tore from her song journal earlier that day. Upon reading it, Lincoln gets an idea on how to help his sister out.

Will his plan prove successful, will the two rockers rekindle their passion again...and will Lincoln be able to think up his own Valentine's gesture/gift for the Gals in time?)

Once he entered the room, Lincoln found Luna sitting in front of Luan's makeshift "comedy stage" on the right side (which was actually a poster of a night club stage background;) sadly strumming away at her guitar. For several minutes, neither Lincoln nor Luna had spoken a word; which made the former feel rather anxious. "So, uh...Luna, you feel like talking yet" Lincoln muttered uneasily, "if you're not, I could leave you alone."

With this in mind, he slowly turned himself around; preparing to make his way towards the door. But Lincoln was suddenly held back by Luna, who reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. "No, dude; wait" she called out desperately, "please...stay for a little bit, I...I could really use the company right now."

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln made his way over to his sister's side. But not before making certain that the door was locked first. For a situation like this, the last thing _either_ of them wanted was for their family to barge in unwanted.

After that, Lincoln made his way back to Luna's side; where he found her staring at a crumpled up piece of paper in her hands. He noticed that her backpack was unzipped, which meant that it must've been something of hers (supposedly.) "What'cha got there, Luna" Lincoln asked casually, "is that your homework...or a Valentine from someone?"

While this inquiry wasn't spoken out of malice; it still caused Luna to tense up slightly with displeasure, nonetheless. Afterwards, she crumpled up the piece of paper and chucked it at the wall; just barely missing the garbage can. The instant he saw this, Lincoln let out a soft "eep" and began bowing his head vigorously; all while rapidly saying "I'm sorry" to Luna."

"No...No, dude; it's alright" Luna murmured, "I'm sorry for buggin', it's just...any further talk about Valentine's Day just makes me cringe." Upon letting his sister's words sink in, a sudden wave of realization washed over Lincoln; which also caused a heavy frown to form on his face. "I'm guessing that...things between you and Sam are still 'on the fence'" he asked with a murmured tone, "if so...I'm sorry."

Before Luna had the chance to speak up, Lincoln stopped her and claimed she'd still have a girl; if it wasn't for him. "Bro...we've talked about this before" she sighed heavily, "even if you didn't talk to your Gal Pals about what's been going on at home, someone would still find out about it; one way or another." Following this; Luna added that if that _weren't _the case, her bitter attitude at the time would've been more than a cause for her and Sam to be on a..."brief separation" (as the latter chose to call it.)

"Seriously, dude; you're lucky you left the house when you did" Luna confessed, "during the time you were away, things were...pretty bogus already for the rest of us; including me."

(Flashback to Last March, during the time of the Sister Fight Protocol)

_While Lincoln chose to take a...temporary leave of absence from his home, things weren't going very well for the rest of the family. From sunrise to sunset, the Loud Sisters' quarreling and continued bitterness was like something out of one of the Great Wars of history. But as bad as things were at _home, _they didn't fare any better for the sisters at school either._

_ Lisa grew incredibly anti-social in her Kindergarten class, which was something Darcy found rather scary. At the Middle School; wherever students saw Lynn pass by, they immediately found cover wherever possible (mostly in their lockers.) Even some of the teachers were put off by this, comparing her apprehensive and "mildly" vicious demeanor to that of a hungry predator that was ready to pounce._

_ Of course, Lynn's anger had managed to...slightly dampen; the moment she set foot into the school. _"School may be lame...but at least I'll be away from my even lamer sisters for a few hours"_ she thought venomously, _"that's an a-plus in _my_ book." _As grim as this sounded, the young jock spoke the truth; of all her sisters, _she _was the only one among them who was in Middle School._

_ This meant that she could go about her lessons free from any distractions...at least, that's what she hoped for. But instead; for the next few weeks, every class felt the same. Lynn tried to focus on her lessons...but all she could think of instead, was her sisters' incessant yelling; specifically Lori's._

_ As a result, whenever she was taking notes or working on a test in class; her papers all seemed to have the same thing...sketches of herself assaulting one or more of her sisters and "emerging victorious." Of course, this behavior did _not _fly well with _any_ of her teachers; even Coach Keck felt that she was behaving a little...too aggressively in class, as the days went by. But as bad as things were for _Lynn, _it was even worse for the four Sisters who went to High School together._

(Line Break)

_Up at Royal Woods High; Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan showed the same signs of hostility the rest of their sisters had. As a result, it made them look quite frightening (for lack of better words) to the eyes of their peers. The ones who took notice of this the most were Luna's band-mates, especially Sam._

_ On the second day of the Loud Sisters' big quarrel, just before news about their brother's situation would spread throughout town; school had been let out Luna decided to hang back in the gym for a jam session with everybody. It didn't take long for Sam, Ruth or even George to notice how aggressively Luna was playing away at her guitar...but the felt too nervous to say anything about it._

_ "Somebody's gotta say something, guys" Sam murmured, "if Luna isn't careful, she could..." Before the blonde rocker could finish her sentence, the sound of a guitar string breaking suddenly echoed through the air. Now, this sound alone was always bad for any rocker._

_ But after it happened; the trio could hear the sound of deep, angry breathing. After each of them took in a nervous gulp, they looked over and saw Luna glaring venomously at the broken string. "Uh...L-L-Looks like you'll need to repair that string, Lunes" stammered Ruth, "if you need the money to pay for it, I can..."_

_ Just before she was about to finish her offer, Ruth and her band-mates watched in horror; as Luna swiftly went into "Rage Mode." With her guitar clenched tight in her hand, her face glowing scarlet with rage and her teeth grinding loudly; the young rocker bellowed out a vicious yell and smashed her guitar on the floor. The whole gym, in that instant suddenly echoed with the sounds of distorted guitar notes and the shattering of wood._

_ Pieces of said wood scattered about the floor like leaves, which made the band feel even more thankful that all the students had been let out. That being said; the instant Luna broke her guitar, the door to the gym teacher's office suddenly burst open; revealing the startled instructor. "WHAT'S GOIN' ON OUT HERE" the man shouted, "what's with all the..."_

_ Before he could finish his sentence, he quickly noticed the mess that was scattered about his floor. When he saw Luna what remained of her broken guitar, this made the gym teacher even angrier. At the same time; the instant she saw the angry look on his face, Luna's rage suddenly dissipated and she waved at him with a nervous grin._

_ "Uh...hey, Coach" Sam chuckled shyly, "we're sorry about the noise...and the mess but we'll clean it up; we promise." Normally, a teacher would take this kind of response as a sign of good will. But unfortunately, the group remembered how much their gym teacher didn't quite enjoy having band students' play in "his" gym (mostly because he didn't like the noise.)_

_ Because of this, he not only "accepted" Sam's offer to clean up the mess on the floor. But at the same time, he sentenced the rest of the band to do the same. "What, _all_ of us...but that's not fair" George exclaimed, "this mess isn't even _our _fault, it's _Luna's!_"_

_ To say that the young rocker in question was upset by her friend's words would be a gross understatement. Truthfully, Luna was livid and she loudly declared George as an even worse tattle-tale than her little sister (namely Lola.) "Well, Lunes; sorry" the teen murmured, "but it's not _my _fault that your drama is affecting our musical mojo."_

_ Without a moment's pause, Ruth and Sam quickly sounded off in agreement; even though the latter's words didn't quite carry the same tone of disapproval. "I must agree with Sullivan here, Loud...for once" the gym teacher interjected suddenly, "your attitude, as of late has put a dampen on your work ethic here at the school and it's high time it's stops before you do something stupid." Now, under normal circumstances; Luna would immediately comply with the authority of her school teachers and fall back in line._

_ But in her current frazzled state of mind, any logic and reason she had was pushed aside; allowing her anger and frustration to take full control of Luna's actions. "Listen 'ere, you bloody chavs" she roared in her cockney accent, "what's goin' on in me private affairs is no bloody business of yours...so, you may as well just shag off!" As the room echoed loudly from Luna's rant, each one of the room's other occupants harbored a different reaction to it all._

_ George had a look of utter disgust upon his face, as if he'd just heard Luna shout every swear word ever known in one shot. Ruth not only had her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to block out the rant from her brain. But it shocked her so deeply, her bangs split apart; briefly revealing the startled look in her eyes._

_ Then, when she looked in Sam's direction; Luna could see tears welling up in her eyes. It was as if her words had hurt her, somehow; even if it was only emotionally. As for the coach...well, he was left silent as well but mostly because he wasn't as "fluent" in British slang as Luna was._

_ Yet, at the same time; something about her calling them "chavs" and her telling them to "shag off" still didn't quite sit well with him. In the end, he went with his gut and quickly called for the foursome's attention. "I don't care which one of you kids started the whole thing" he grumbled firmly, "what matters is _I'm _gonna finish it!"_

_ Before anyone had the chance to ask him, the coach sentenced the band to not only cleaning up the guitar bits but the rest of the floor as well. "After that, you can head off to the Principal's office as well" he said while crossing his arms, "any backtalk and I'll have ya give the floor a polishing too...am I clear?" Not wishing to get on the teacher's bad side any further, the band answered him in the most silent yet respectable way possible; by saluting him._

(Cut back to reality)

Back in Luna's room at the present, Lincoln could be seen looking up at his sister with a look of pure shock on his face. It seemed as though things for his family were already turning sour, while he was away; long before all the news reports, police action and investigations from Child Services had come about. Yet even with all this in mind, Lincoln still felt compelled to apologize to Luna.

"I know what you're gonna say, Sis; that what happened wasn't my fault" he muttered, "that may be true...but what happened later, when Simon spoke with Sam; _that_ part feels like it _was_ my fault." After this, Lincoln claimed that if he'd stay at home and dealt with the family drama "like a man" (as Lynn put it;) Luna and Sam would still be together. But Luna further insisted that the _both _of them had a part to play in it, with her being the one to truly put the final nail in the coffin.

"George was right...I _did _let the drama get in the way of everything else in my life" she murmured shamefully, "and now...a-and now...I've probably lost the love and friendship of the best girl in the world!" The instant she said this; Luna fell to the floor, curled herself up into a little ball...and sobbed. While this transpired, Lincoln found himself at a total loss for words.

_"Wow, I've never seen Luna this upset before"_ he thought, _"she must really care a lot about Sam."_ As Luna continued to cry, the best thing Lincoln could think of to do was try and soothe her. Thus; he scooted over as close as he could, placed a hand upon her back and began to rub it tenderly.

While this gesture wouldn't be a permanent fix, Lincoln felt it was just what Luna needed in a time like this. Surprisingly, it seemed to be working; as Luna suddenly eased her head towards him and placed it upon his lap. After that, she let out a soft yet contented sigh; as if it was her way of telling her brother thanks.

"I'm so sorry for all that's happened to you, Luna"Lincoln whispered sadly, "I wish there was something I could do to help you...but I just feel so useless, just like that piece of paper you were looking at earlier!" With this thought in mind; he immediately spotted the aforementioned wad by the trashcan, stomped over to it (after gingerly moving Luna's head off of him first,) snatched it up and was prepared to rip it to shreds. But then, through one of the creases; Lincoln could faintly see some words written on it.

For a few brief seconds, he felt conflicted on what to do next. On one hand, Lincoln didn't feel comfortable in looking at something that belonged to one of his sisters. But on the other hand; Luna wasn't quite in the right mind, at the moment to grant him her consent.

With no other alternative available, Lincoln took in a nervous gulp and began to gently straighten out the crumpled piece of paper. At first, he expected it to be some sort of doodle or a piece of homework Luna messed up on. But upon inspecting it, Lincoln's jaw dropped slightly and his eyes began skimming through every word written on the page.

Meanwhile, Luna had finally cried out all the tears she had...for now and slowly pushed herself up off the floor. After taking a moment to wipe her tears away with a tissue, Luna's vision became clear enough to notice Lincoln; who was reading something on a small piece of paper. At first, she didn't' really think much on it; due to her mind's current state.

But when Luna noticed how crinkled the paper looked; she jumped to her feet, rushed over and snatched it out of her brother's hands. "Don't touch that" she said sharply, "don't even _look _at it, for that matter!" Not wishing to see his sister any more upset than she was, Lincoln quickly apologized for looking into her belongings.

"Uh...yeah, about that" Luna began shyly, "the paper's not really _mine, _technically; it's actually Sam's." From here, she told her brother of what happened earlier that day in the High School gym. At first, Luna expected him to laugh over how awkward she behaved during the whole period.

But instead, Lincoln simply urged her to keep going; appearing quite engrossed in the story. "Well...to get to the point; while I was listening in, I saw Sam rip a piece of paper from her song journal" Luna explained, "when she and the others left, I...took it and stuffed it in my bag." At first, she expected Lincoln to lecture her on taking things that didn't belong to her; like their parents would.

But while he _did _briefly put the idea into consideration, Lincoln's overall curiosity far outweighed that notion and he suggested taking a peek at the paper. "You've read my mind, Lil' Bro" Luna chuckled while ruffling his hair, "let's just hope this isn't some sort we'll later regret we saw." With that thought in mind and after taking in a deep breath to calm their nerves, the two Loud Siblings took a glance at the paper and began to read it.

(Line Break)

Almost a half an hour passed by since Lincoln and Luna decided to read Sam's "mystery paper" and after doing so three times over, they found...absolutely nothing sinister or alarming about it. That being said; after reading it the _third _time, both of them had the same wide-eyed expressions. In addition to this, their cheeks also flared red with a blush.

"Wow, just...wow" Lincoln murmured softly, "you always told us Sam was passionate with her music...but it _really _shows in these lyrics." Luna, who was also at a loss for words over what she read, couldn't help but agree. At the same time, she found herself wondering what or where Sam got the inspiration for it.

"Okay, Lunes; this is just me spit-balling here" Lincoln said with a light grin, "but what if it's not so much what inspired this song...but _who?_" It didn't take long for Luna to catch the meaning behind her brother's words. As a result, the still visible blush on her face swiftly turned into a deeper shade of red.

"That...Th-That's a nice wish, dude" Luna muttered shyly, "but we both know Sam still hates my guts." Just as Lincoln was about to contradict his sister, Luna quickly referenced everything she heard Sam said earlier that day; just before she snagged the ripped page. "I heard it all straight from her mouth for myself, dude" she grumbled, "Sam's still upset that I let family drama blind me from what's important...namely my school work, my friends, my passion for rock...and the only bro I have in my life."

For a brief moment, Lincoln felt touched by his sister's words and felt tempted to hug her. But then, he realized that he needed to focus and quickly got back to the story at hand. "I mean...I've tried so many times to talk with Sam, to try and clear the air between us" Luna said with a heavy sigh, "but I just...choke up before I can even get the first word out!"

Upon hearing this, Lincoln suggested using the advice she and Lola suggested to Lori when before her one golf game; the 4-7-8 Rule and the Mantra. "That's for bein' up on stage or playin' games, Bro" Luna retorted, "_this _is me tryin' to get the nerve to tell my dream girl that I...that I love her and I miss her." The instant these simple words escaped her lips; tears began to well up in Luna's eyes, once more.

Not wishing to see his sister have another tearful relapse, Lincoln desperately tried to think of another idea to help her. Unfortunately, after almost half a minute of straining his brain, nothing came into his mind. Then, just as he was about to lose all hope...Lincoln glanced slightly at the song page Sam wrote and red over the lyrics one more time.

Once he stopped at the last word, a toothy grin slowly appeared on his face; one that Luna...couldn't help but feel weirded out by. "Um...dude, what's with the creepy smile" she murmured uneasily, "it's almost as weird as Lynn's from earlier." The instant he snapped out of his joyful state, Lincoln proclaimed he had just the idea to help Luna out.

"I just have one question for you, Lunes" he said suddenly, "do you still have enough of a spark in you to play music again?" After taking a moment to let this inquiry sink in, Luna found herself eyeing her selection of instruments sadly. Then, her gaze fell upon the handle of the guitar she broke in the gym.

"I...I dunno, Bro; I haven't felt inspired to pick up an axe in a long time" Luna murmured, "but what does _that _have to do with anything?" After taking his sister's hands into his own, Lincoln gave her a smile and said "I think I've got just the idea to help you out."

(Time Change: Saturday Morning – Noontime)

Time passed by quickly and soon, the big day finally arrived; Valentine's Day. All over town, couples could be seen showering each other with love; while friends shared V-Day cards with those closest to them to help make their day. Meanwhile, down at the Loud House; Lynn Sr. was leading his beloved wife into the dining room of the house.

"Oooh! Honey, I'm so excited" Rita said giddily, "can I take off the blindfold yet?" With a coy laugh in his throat, Lynn told her to remain patient while he "set up the proper lighting." Then, seconds later; he gave her the signal and Rita swiftly pulled the blindfold off her head.

The next thing she saw was so beautiful, she almost fainted on the spot from surprise. All over the table, there were several dishes of rich smelling foods; each one looking more tantalizing than the last. "Lynn...this looks so...I...I can't believe it" Rita stammered, "did you make all these yourself?"

With a bashful blush on his face, the family patriarch revealed that he had quite a bit of help in preparing everything. Half of the credit went to Kotaro while the other half went to the kids, who all helped him make the dishes the previous day. "So, _that _explains the extra cooking you did while I was at work" Rita said slyly, "honey...you shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

Before she could say another word, Lynn silenced her with a quick kiss on the lips. "Nothing's too good for _you,_ my Queen" he said lovingly, "I even picked up your favorite flowers for the centerpiece." With this statement, Lynn gestured towards the center of the table and revealed a beautiful bouquet of violets.

"Oh...and there's one last surprise" he said giddily, "guess who's popping by for a visit today?" Almost immediately, the first guess Rita went with was Pop-Pop...but she remembered that he and Myrtle made plans for the day at the spa. "I'll give you a hint, hon" Lynn said while trying to suppress his excitement, "it's not your dad...but it's someone just as special."

Just as Rita was about to make a guess, they suddenly heard a loud car horn honk outside the house; which shocked them a little. Upon recovering; the Loud Parents walked to the front door, opened it and found the source of the noise. Parked in their driveway was a large yellow van.

On its side was a red logo that bore the words "Casagrandes Mercado" painted in white letters. This alone gave Rita just the idea on who was in the van. "Okay, guys; we know it's you" she chuckled slyly, "you can come out now."

At first, the parents expected their "surprise guests" to come bursting out of the front seats to greet them. But much to both Rita _and _Lynn's surprise, nothing seemed to happen. "Maybe they just parked here and went off to explore the town" Lynn murmured sadly, "but...I thought they'd want to see _us _first."

No sooner had he said this, _both_ parents suddenly got a text on their phones; which read "open the rack doors." Naturally, they looked at each other with confused stares; wondering what "rack doors" were. Then, two more text messages followed; the first one read "dang it, my thumb slipped" and the second read "I meant 'check the _back _doors.'"

"Oh, I think I know what this means" Rita gasped in realization, "we need to check the back doors of the van." While this conclusion _did _make sense, Lynn wondered what could be in the back of the Casagrande Family's van that could possibly be of interest to them. Before he had the chance to think up any kind of ideas, Rita made an immediate beeline for the van and wasted no time in grabbing the handles.

Upon pulling the doors back, she was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of pink confetti and streamers; which were followed by the hearty cry of "SURPRISE!" Once Rita snapped out of her initial shock and Lynn cleaned her off, they were met with a pair of very familiar faces; Lori and her "precious boo-boo bear," Bobby. "Hey, guys; Happy Valentine's Day" the Santiago teen greeted happily, "sorry if we spooked you a little...the surprise was Mr. Loud's idea."

At first, Rita thought her husband's "idea" was to leave her scared out of her wits. But then; Lori explained that since Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, she could pop in for a visit. "But honey, you've visited the house every weekend since you got into Fairway" Rita informed, "what makes _this _weekend so important?"

After giving her mother a playful eye roll, Lori said that while she _did _make the aforementioned promise; she wanted to make _this _weekend special by giving a little something for the whole family. "For _you guys,_ Boo-Boo Bear and I picked out some things from the Campus Store" she explained, "for Mom, a Campus jacket and for you, Daddy; a cookbook filled with loads of literally all kinds of golf themed foods." Lynn gave a joyful gasp at this reveal and wasted no time flipping through the book; instantly becoming inspired by the few recipes he saw.

"Thank you so much, honey and you too, Bobby" Rita said sweetly while hugging the teens close, "you really shouldn't have gone through all this trouble." Bobby chuckled softly and insisted it was no trouble at all. "But what about the Bodega" Lynn interjected, "won't your grandparents want someone to be at the store, in case there are some last-minute shoppers?"

As if expecting this sort of concern, Bobby assured the elder Louds that his _Abuela_ and _Abuelo_ took care of it. "To get to the point, he decided to close the _Mercado_ today so that the men in our family can be with the ladies they love" he stated in a suave voice, "even my Dad decided to perform a 'friendly Valentine's gesture' for my mom and offered to look after CJ, Carl and Carlitos while she and Ronnie Anne have the day to themselves." To say that Lynn and Rita were amazed by the thoroughness of Bobby's plan would be the understatement of the year.

In the end, the moment she managed to find her voice again; Rita playfully winked at Lori and whispered the words "yup...this one's _definitely _a keeper." After this, the two teens then asked to see the other siblings; feeling eager to share some of the other gifts they had in store. "Oh, hon...we're so sorry" Rita murmured, "but a lot of your sisters went off to do some of their own Valentine's plans, even Lynn Jr."

Naturally, this reveal came as a surprise to Lori and she immediately asked who it was that Lynn went off to see. "Believe it or not, it was Francisco" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "seems he wants to give your sister a second chance...just like Bobby did for _you._" Lori's heart swelled with joy, while her mind desperately tried to keep her from going back to her old habits.

_"You've already made that mistake twice before with Lincoln and Lucy, Missy" _she thought to herself, _"don't want to risk a third strike by playing Cupid for _another _one of your siblings."_ The instant this idea came into mind, Lori suddenly realized a small yet still glaring flaw in her parents' story. But before she mention anything about it, a small yet joyful squeal sounded off from across the room.

There, Lori spotted a sight that made her eyes sparkle; little Lily dressed in a Valentine's themed shirt. It was pink in color and at the center was a little heart, one that bore the message of "I Wuv U" in bubble letters. With a happy giggle, Lily walked speedily over to his big sister with her arms open wide.

"Well, well; Boo-Boo Bear" Lori said with a giggle, "look who came to greet us." Without a moment's pause, she and Bobby greeted Lily in the typical manner; with a flurry of Valentine's kisses and tummy tickles. "So, we all know where the girls are" said the young Latino boy, "but where's Linc hiding; I've got a cool gift to give him and I want to see his reaction."

Upon hearing her boyfriend's words, Lori also became interested in her brother's whereabouts and asked her parents if he was sleeping in. "Surprisingly, honey...no, he's not" Rita stated, "he and Luna left sometime after breakfast, he said he wanted to help her with something." Now, after living with her siblings all her life; Lori always felt suspicious whenever they were plotting something..._especially _Lincoln."

"Do you know where they could've gone, guys" Lori asked her parents, "we may want to...uh...you know..." Before she had a chance to finish, Rita placed a reassuring hand upon Lori's shoulder; silencing her. "We understand, honey; you're just worried" she said with a kind smile, "in which case, I think they said they were going to the center of town...over by the fountain."

The instant Luna's destination was revealed, Lori's eyes sparkled so brightly with joy that they could illuminate the whole room . "Guys...I think I know what Luna is doing in town" she said giddily, "I just hope she knows what she's doing down there...whatever her plan is."

(Line Break)

As our story takes us to the center of Royal Woods, we find Luna and Lincoln down by the fountain; where they appear to be chatting with George and Ruth about Sam's Valentine's Day surprise. "Thanks again for agreeing to help my sister out on this, guys" Lincoln said gratefully, "this really means a lot." After giving him a smile and offering a friendly fist bump, George said he was happy to help.

"I really appreciate this too, guys" Luna murmured happily, "and...I'm sorry for being such a pain this week...and for the past few months." Without a second thought, Ruth embraced her friend and band-mate in a loving hug; assuring her that all was forgiven. "The only thing I'm concerned about is...will this actually work" she asked curiously, "are we even sure Sam will come?"

Just as Luna was about to answer, all eyes gazed towards the end of the road; where they spotted a lone cyclist heading their way. As the rider drew closer, Luna soon noticed that it was none other than Sam; whose long blonde locks were flowing softly in the breeze while she rode. "She's almost here, gang" she whispered softly, "Lincoln, get me my guitar; everyone else, get into position."

Without a moment's hesitation, the trio immediately carried out Luna's instructions. Lincoln carefully handed over Luna her acoustic guitar while George and Ruth made their way towards a nearby public bench. Meanwhile, Luna took a position on the other side of the fountain; making sure that Sam would only see her silhouette from behind the water.

Speaking of whom; when the "guest of honor" arrived, she parked her bike somewhere safe and made her way towards the fountain. "This _is _the place where the text told me to go" she muttered to herself, "but...I don't see anyone else here." With this thought in mind, she took out her phone and re-read the text again.

_Sam_

_ Please, come down and meet me at the fountain at the center of town. I have something to talk with you about, as well as something to show you._

_Signed,_

_ A friend_

During her ride over, a small part of her thought this might be some sort of a prank. Of course, she not only had three possible suspects; Sam also had ideas on _why _they'd want to prank her. First, she considered George or Ruth (or possibly both;) believing they wanted to have Sam watch them get even with Luna for having all of them stay after school earlier in the week.

Of course, she quickly dismissed the idea; believing that neither of her band-mates had it in them to be vengeful. For Sam's second suspect; she considered that her brother, Simon might be plotting something. But she dismissed _that _idea as well, reminding herself that her brother neither had it in him to be vengeful _or _had a legit reason to humiliate her.

This left Luan as the only possible suspect, one who had all the more reason to get back at her. But all too quickly; Sam remembered from Luna's stories that after the trial ended, Luan was now forbidden by law to engage in anymore of her old insane prank sprees. That being said, she might've secretly set up a hidden prank of some kind; to get even with Sam for breaking her sister's heart.

The more these ideas started swirling about her head, the more it made her feel both confused and anxious. Because of this, Sam was mere moments away from turning around and leaving. "Guys, I think she's turning tail" Lincoln called out from inside of a bush, "better get this ball rolling now!"

With that signal, Luna took her guitar in hand and began to play the first few notes of the song she intended to play. Within seconds, the sound of the music soon reached Sam's ears; just as she was about to unclip her bike. With her curiosities now piqued and her ears twitching slightly, she turned around towards the square; hoping to find the source of the music.

"Sounds like someone's playing behind the fountain" she murmured softly, "but...I didn't think there'd be any street performers out today." As she drew in closer, Sam could see someone's form being silhouetted behind the flowing water of the fountain...but she couldn't tell who they were. Just as she was about to call out to them, the figure stood up from their seat and said, "I'm...really glad you came here, Sam."

Once she made her presence known, Luna walked around the fountain and revealed herself to Sam. Upon doing so, the blonde rocker didn't know whether to feel happy or bothered by this surprise. Regardless, Sam didn't wish to appear rude and greeted her with the most casual hand wave she could muster.

"So...I'm guessing that _you _were the one who sent me the text" she asked in a monotone voice, "if that's the case...why did you ask me to come here?" For a moment or two, Luna didn't know how to respond due to how nervous she was. But then, she immediately practiced Lola's 4-7-8 Rule and chanted an entirely new mantra in her head; _"don't hurl, be strong for your girl."_

After doing this for half a minute, Luna finally became calm enough to speak with Sam again. "Say, Sam...do you remember this place" she murmured shyly, "you know, from...from way back when?" It didn't take long for Sam to guess where Luna was going and thus, she answered with a slight nod of the head.

"This was where we had our 'first date' together" she muttered monotonously, "during the Royal Woods Astonishing Quest." Luna smiled softly at this reply, feeling rather pleased by how things were progressing. "That was...quite an adventurous day we had, wasn't it...heh-heh" she muttered inquisitively, "with the sailing, the chickens, the dancing and..."

Before Luna could continue any further, Sam held her hand up to her face; immediately halting her train of thought. "_You _see it as pleasant memories, Luna" she murmured dryly, "all I remember it as is just how incompatible we were." Whether it was the words Sam chose or _how _she chose to say them; to Luna, each one felt like a punch to the gut."

"If you brought me out here just to talk about our past, Ms. Loud; I'm in no mood for it" she said bitterly, "I've got my own Valentine's Day plans at home...even if it's just with me and my family." With that, Sam gave Luna one final look of contempt before turning on her heals and heading off for home. Not wishing to lose this opportunity, Luna raced up and grabbed Sam by the wrist; stopping her.

This, unfortunately seemed like a bad course of action; as this sudden invasion of her personal space suddenly caused Sam to freak out. "WHAT IS YOUR DEAL, LUNA" she shrieked with tears in her eyes, "you...y-you've already broken me once, what more do you want from me?!" Feeling hurt by the girl's choice of words and saddened by her distress state, Luna was left momentarily paralyzed with fear; unsure of what to say next.

That was when she used Lola's breathing technique, which did just the trick to help calm Luna's frazzled state. "Sam, I know you're upset and I'm sorry for acting so weird" she murmured nervously, "but...I don't want to fight with you, I...I just wanna talk." For a few seconds, both teens stood in bitter silence; all while looking intently into each other's eyes.

Then, Luna suddenly felt Sam tense up slightly in her grip; which signaled that she would make another possible attempt to retreat. "Look...before anything else, I just wanna say...I'm sorry" she sighed, "you were right, I _did _keep a lot of stuff secret from you during all that craziness that happened last year and all that was keeping me from focusing on what was most important to me...like you." After saying this, Luna slowly let go of Sam's wrist; mentally praying she wouldn't run.

After taking a few moments to let these words sink in, Sam found herself feeling touched by her on-again/off-again girl's words. But then, as Luna attempted to try and get in closer to Sam; it only made her back away in alarm. "Samurai...please, just listen to me" Luna begged, "I've been working _really _hard to make amends for what I've done; I've patched things up with Lincoln, I've paid my debt to society...I'm even taking classes every other weekend to ensure that I won't relapse back to my angry self again."

Once again, Sam felt moved by Luna's words; which made her feel even more certain that she might've changed. But deep down, Sam still had a nagging feeling that told her that Luna might end up failing her again. "I want to believe you, Lunes...more than anything, I want to believe you've bettered yourself" Sam murmured, "but...I just...I don't know."

At first, Luna almost felt heartbroken by her choice of words and felt that her chances of redeeming herself in her eyes would be a bust. But then, as she looked at Sam more closely; Luna could see that she was clenching her eyes tightly. This was a sign that the poor girl was trying to fight back whatever tears were attempting to pour out.

It also showed Luna just how conflicted Sam was feeling right now. It was in that moment that she quickly tossed aside all thoughts of restraint and logic, just to perform one quick gesture to help ease Sam's troubled mind. After taking in a deep breath; she placed her guitar beside the fountain, silently approached Sam, looked her straight in her tear-filled eyes...and hugged her tightly.

Naturally, this caused the young lady to tense up slightly; which made all those who were watching believe she would try to run away. But instead, Sam remained ensnared in Luna's embrace; feeling both conflicted...yet pleased at the same time. After holding her in silence for several moments, Luna took a moment to help dry away Sam's tears.

"Look, Sammy; before either of us says or does _anything else..._let me just say one thing" the pixie cut rocker stated, "before coming here; my bro told me a piece of advice our sister, Lori once gave _him_...that actions speak louder than words." Sam made no verbal reply at this, she only gave a soft sniffle and a blank stare that seemed to say "what's your point?" "Okay...long story short, despite however weird her romance advice can be, this _one_ time...she's actually right" Luna said with a light chuckle, "so...rather than just struggle to talk to you like a daft fool, I have a better way to share my feelings for you."

With that said, she looked over her shoulder and gave a shrill whistle; which caused Ruth, George, and Lincoln to come out of their hiding spots. "Sam, you already know the gang here" Luna stated, "but...the little guy with us is my Lil' Brother, Lincoln." The instant his name was mentioned, Sam immediately identified him as "the guy who Simon talks about."

"I saw you in one of the pictures someone took at the Ace Savvy Convention, last Spring" she said with a smile, "thanks for signing my little bro's book and taking a photo op with him...it meant a whole lot to him." With a light blush on his cheeks, Lincoln bashfully said that he was happy to help a fellow Ace in the Hole; as some Ace Savvy fans often liked to call themselves. "So...what brings you here with your sister" Sam inquired, "are you part of...whatever plan these guys have?"

In response, Lincoln offered up a "so-so" gesture and said that he was only there to offer some background music. "Granted, I'm not as great as Luna here" he stated, "but for a moment like this...I promised to do whatever I could to help her." With that said; George prepped his bass, Ruth tuned up her violin and Lincoln readied his own instrument...the ukulele.

All that remained was for _Luna_ to start things up. For a moment or two, she just stared at Sam in silence; as if hoping she wouldn't run away before they began. As if sensing her thoughts, Sam placed her backpack beside the fountain and she took a seat on the rim; silently gesturing for everyone to start playing. "Okay...like I said before, I can't quite _tell _you what I want you to hear" Luna stated, "so...I figured I let the music do the talkin' for me and I've got the perfect song to do it." With that, she took in a deep breath for luck and mentally repeated her mantra; "don't fret...just play your set." Then, Luna began playing the opening notes before swiftly going into the next verse.

_I love you too much  
To live without you loving me back  
I love you too much  
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact  
I know I belong  
When I sing this song  
There's love above love and it's ours  
'Cause I love you too much  
_

(Lincoln, George and Ruth start playing their instruments as well; while Luna continues to sing/play)

_I live for your touch  
I whisper your name night after night  
I love you too much  
There's only one feeling and I know it's right  
I know I belong  
When I sing this song  
There's love above love and it's ours  
'Cause I love you too much_

_Heaven knows your name I've been  
Praying to have you  
Come here by my side  
Without you a part of me's missing  
Just to make you my own I will fight_

Within seconds, the song went into a brief instrumental and each member of the group began to play at their respective cues. Needless to say, it all sounded so heavenly to Sam...but not as much as Luna's singing did.

_I know I belong  
When I sing this song  
There's love above love and it's ours  
'Cause I love you too much_

_I love you too much!_

_I love you too much  
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact  
You live in my soul  
Your heart is my goal_

(While Luna sings; she, Ruth plays a gorgeous tune on her violin while the boys provide guitar music for Luna's final verse of the song)

_There's love above love and it's mine  
'Cause I love you  
There's love above love and it's yours  
'Cause I love you  
There's love above love and it's ours  
If you love me...  
As much_

After that, the whole area was dead silent for what felt like ages; save for the sound of the fountain's water flowing. During that time; Luna and Co. were doing what they could to catch their breath, while Sam simply stared at them in silence. Finally, after taking a moment to clear her throat; Lincoln decided to help break the ice and asked Sam what she thought about the song.

"It was...It was great, you guys all sound pretty awesome together" murmured the blonde rocker shyly, "but...something about your song sounds familiar." Remembering that Luna was the one who orchestrated this little show, Sam looked in her direction and asked where she came up with the song. "Well...actually, Samurai; I can't...I can't really take credit for someone else's work" Luna murmured shyly, "namely yours."

Sam was, quite understandably dumbfounded by her friend's words and was prepared to question her on them. But then, she saw something sitting inside of Luna's guitar case; a crumpled up piece of paper. Before anyone had the chance to stop her; Sam walked over, picked it up and began to read the paper in silence.

The whole time she was reading, Luna found herself sweating profusely with anxiety; which Lincoln couldn't help but find ironic. _"Here I thought I was the only anxious one in social situations"_ he thought to himself, _"of course, for a moment like_ this, _I can't say I blame her."_ Finally, after what felt like ages; Sam stopped reading, silently approached Luna and looked her straight in the eyes.

"This was...This was the song I tore from my journal earlier this week" she murmured, "how did _you _get a hold of it?" With a shy blush upon her face, Luna confessed everything; she told Sam about when she listened in on her at the gym, about her meltdown the other day and of course, the moment she took the paper after Sam threw it away. "My bro and I read it the other day, back at my house" she explained, "it was so moving...why'd you want to throw it away?"

At first, Sam said nothing; which led Luna to believe she might be angry. But then, Lincoln took hold of her hand and looked the blonde rocker in the eye with a pleading gaze. "I know you and my sister are going through...a rough spell, right now" he stated, "but this feels like as good a time as any to try and talk things out...doesn't it?"

For a brief moment, Sam considered telling Lincoln not to "meddle in her or Luna's business;" thinking he wouldn't understand. But in the end, she realized that he was right and that everything needed to be laid out on the table right then and there. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, lil' dude" Sam said to Lincoln kindly, "which is a good match for the love you have for Luna here."

Not only did this compliment cause Lincoln to blush a little, it also brought smiles to both Ruth and George's faces. "Okay...looks like we're off to a good start here" George murmured, "so, who wants to talk first?" At first, the trio feared it would be another silent stare-down like what happened earlier.

But instead, Luna decided to speak up first...after she did what she could to steady her nerves, of course. "Sam...I miss you, I miss _us_" the purple-clad rocker stated, "since we split up, I've been so alone...which is ironic, considering my living situation." After sharing a brief chuckle at her little joke, Luna saw the impatient look in Sam's eyes; which was all she needed to tell her she was getting off-track.

"Right...anyway; since we split up, I've felt so alone" she murmured sadly, "I couldn't think straight, I had trouble sleeping and worse of all, I lost all the passion I had to rock out; going solo may work for most musicians...but not me." Despite all the sincerity Luna was putting into her case, she didn't seem to be getting through to Sam at all. This alone was enough to make her heart wrench slightly, which later led to Luna's eyes welling up with tears of sorrow.

"Look...I messed up, alright; is that what you wanna hear" she wailed, "because of my dumb decision to follow my dumb sisters' dumb fight protocol, I lost...the only girl...who means more to me than _anything _else in the whole world!" From here, Luna professed how much she wished she could take everything back...but knew she couldn't. Then, much to Sam's surprise; Luna took hold of her hands and held onto them for dear life.

"Sam...Sammy, I love you so...so much" she murmured while trying to hold back her tears, "it's like the song said; without you in my life, I feel like part of me is missing and I'd do _anything_ to reconnect that part again." As Sam took each word Luna said to heart, she slowly became even more conflicted with her feelings than before. On one hand, part of her wanted nothing more than to just take the girl into her arms and never let her go again.

But then, _another _part of her still doubted Luna and believed she needed further proof that her feelings were genuine. "Look...for what it's worth, our separation wasn't the _only_ reason I threw the paper away" Sam murmured, "I got rid of it because...because...singing it on my own wouldn't really make it shine, ya know what I mean?" This statement left everyone with more questions than answers and Lincoln was prepared to ask Sam if she could explain herself a bit more.

But then, Luna quickly held him back before he could say anything. "Hold on, Bro...I think I know what she means" Luna said with a hopeful smile, "the question is, Sam...will you be my partner for the encore?" Now, some onlookers would take this inquiry _completely_ out of context and assume the girl was asking for something else entirely.

But to the group in question, on the other hand; they knew full well what Luna wanted. With her own smile upon her lips, Sam asked to borrow George's bass guitar; which he happily granted. After that, the two girls tuned up their instruments and began to play.

Now; in itself, Luna's solo performance of I Love You Too Much was beautiful. But when combined with Sam's voice; the two harmonized so heavenly together, it almost brought everyone to tears of joy. When the song neared its final verse, everyone could see the two rockers staring at one another while they sang; which gave them a glimmer of hope.

(Luna)

_I love you too much!  
_

_I love you too much  
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact  
_

(Sam)

_You live in my soul  
Your heart is my goal_

(Luna)

_There's love above love and it's mine  
'Cause I love you  
_

(Sam)

_There's love above love and it's _yours_  
'Cause I love you  
_

(Both)

_There's love above love and it's ours  
If you love me...  
As much_

Mere seconds after the song came to an end; Lincoln, George and Ruth cheered loudly with joy. But much to their surprise, neither Luna nor Sam seemed to care. The instant they stopped singing, the both of them suddenly found themselves gazing deeply into each other's eyes.

Finally, a faint blush appeared on Luna's cheeks; as she brushed her hand shyly over her left ear. "Wow...I really missed this" she muttered, "hearing our voices together, the sounds of our instruments playing as one...and the way your eyes sparkle whenever you _really_ get into a song, Sammy." The instant she heard the compliment; Sam lightly shoved Luna's shoulder, albeit in a playful manner, and guffawed loudly.

"Be serious here, Lunes" she said giddily, "this is no time for any cheesy one-liners." Rather than be put off by this, Luna took this as an opportunity to make her next move. With lightning fast reflexes, she reached over and held Sam tightly in her arms. "There she is" Luna said with a hearty chuckle, "_there's _my Silly Samurai...I've really missed ya, I did."

In that moment, the blonde rocker thought that her "assailant" was being unfair; coming at her with both a silly nickname and her adorable British accent. "C'mon, Lunes; the others are looking at us" Sam muttered shyly, "I don't even know why I..." Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, Sam suddenly felt Luna's lips push atop her own; stopping her with a sudden kiss.

At first, the gesture was soft and gentle; like the sort of kiss a couple makes on their first date. At the same time, everyone (including Luna herself) feared that Sam might pull away; be it either out of shock, anger...or possibly _both. _But fifteen seconds after it happened, neither of the girls dared to separate themselves from the kiss.

Then, ever so slowly, Sam wrapped her arms around Luna and pulled her in tighter; thus causing the kiss to become even more intense. Not only did this make George and Ruth blush heavily, they also decided to "protect" Lincoln by shielding his eyes; believing he was "too young" to see such passionate intimacy. Of course, this didn't stop him from taking a quick picture of the couple with his phone.

Finally, after almost half a minute of passion, the couple broke away and took in deep lungfuls of air. "Wow! That was...amazing" Luna gasped breathlessly, "Sammy, where on earth did you learn how to kiss like _that?"_ After she was able to catch her breath, Sam looked over her shoulder and gave Luna a coy wink.

"A girl's gotta have some secrets, Lunes" she chuckled, "but maybe, I could share it with you...over some cappuccinos at the Burnt Bean, maybe?" This simple request came as such a surprise to Luna, her heart suddenly felt as though it was beating ten-thousand miles per minute." "Hold on...back up there, luv; are you...asking me out on a date" she asked dumbfounded, "and if you are, does this mean we're cool again?"

Rather than answer her outright, Sam suddenly leapt into Luna's arms and gave her the biggest/tightest hug possible. "Does _that _answer your question, Looney Tunes" she asked jokingly, "Happy Valentine's Day, love." With tears of joy trickling down her cheeks and a star-bright smile spread across her face, Luna returned Sam's embrace and lovingly echoed her holiday greeting into her ear in a hushed whisper; "Happy Valentine's Day, love."

After that, the two stood together for what felt like ages; holding one another in blissful silence. Truthfully, the scene was so touching; it made Lincoln burst into tears. "Oh, jeez...quit it, lil' dude" George muttered uneasily, "you're...y-you're gonna make _me _cry too."

As the young rocker began dabbing his eyes with a tissue, Ruth felt thankful her bangs had kept her eyes covered; otherwise, everyone would see _her_ crying as well. "Now, _this_ is a Valentine's moment worth remembering" she said with a light sniffle, "I'm happy you two patched things up, ladies." Upon hearing their friend and band-mate's voice, the couple momentarily broke apart and urged her to come join the hugfest.

"That goes for you two as well, boys" Luna exclaimed, "there's plenty of lovin' to go around!" With a hearty chuckle in his throat, George rushed over and hugged both Luna _and _Sam happily; feeling relieved to see everything back to normal again. Meanwhile, Lincoln appeared to be hanging back slightly; as if unsure if he wanted to join in on the hug. Then, he took a look at his phone and saw that it was almost two.

This meant that they'd all been working on this predicament for two hours. _"This is not good"_ Lincoln muttered worriedly, _"the day's almost over and I don't have any Valentine's of my own to give!"_ The instant this thought came into mind, the poor boy started pacing about worriedly; all while pulling at his hair in distress.

Upon seeing this; though they didn't quite like breaking up their little moment so soon, the band of rockers immediately went to Lincoln's side and asked what was wrong. "No...It's alright, guys; I'm fine" Lincoln murmured, "don't let _my _hang-ups ruin your beautiful reunion." While she _did _appreciate her brother for putting her feelings over his own, Luna had no intention of backing off and neither did the others.

"With all due respect, Lil' man; our business is settled" Sam stated firmly, "which means that we're now 'sane' enough on other important things...like family." Almost immediately, Lincoln knew that she only said this statement for Luna's sake. But at the same time, he still very much appreciated it.

"Besides, dude; how could _we_ possibly stand by and enjoy _our _love, when other people around us are suffering" questioned Luna, "it just don't feel right." The instant he heard these words from his sister, Lincoln suddenly felt himself experiencing a sense of déjà vu. "Funny...I was saying the same thing to my friends, earlier this week" he muttered sarcastically, "back when I had time to try and think up my own Valentine's plans."

After hearing her little brother say this simple phrase, Luna immediately knew he was having his own "romance problems" as well. But rather than become like Lori and try to be some kind of matchmaker, she asked for him to explain everything that's happening. "Um...Pardon me, if I could just interject for a moment" Sam said suddenly, "could we talk about this on the way back home, we've been out here for a while and my parents might get worried about me."

Both Loud Siblings smiled warmly at her, nodded in agreement and began packing up their music gear. "Chunk's got his van parked nearby" Luna informed, "while he's drivin', my bro can tell us what's goin' on...if he's up to it." Without hesitation, Lincoln responded to this with a smile and a nod; which made Luna feel all the happier.

After everyone had stored their gear in the back of Chunk's van, later on; they climbed aboard and began their drive back to the neighborhood. "Okay...so, little dude; spill it" Sam said with a mildly eager tone, "what sort of V-Day issues have _you _been having?" For a moment, Lincoln couldn't quite think up the right words to say.

Thus, the only response he could offer was "it...it's a long story." "Well, mate; we've got quite bit of a drive ahead" Chunk said from the driver's seat, "so, may as well start from the beginnin'." After that, the van's other occupants sat comfortably in their seats; while Lincoln spent the whole ride home regaling them with his tale of Valentine's troubles.

(First AN: Well...Good news is Luna's Valentine's Day has taken a turn for the better. The bad news, the day's half over and Lincoln doesn't have anything to show the Gal Pals. Will things turn out well in the end for _both_ Loud Siblings or will Fate make sure that there's heartbreak for this year's Valentine's Day?

Find out next time in the heartwarming conclusion of Love Labor Lost with the Gal Pals)

(Second AN: The flashback scene at the beginning of this installment is my answer to a request given unto me by one or two of my reviewers from long ago. Said request involved showing what life was like for the Loud Family while Lincoln was away. Sure, said flashback only featured Luna...but I hope it's satisfactory enough for you)

(Third AN: The song Luna sings to Sam is known as I Love You Too Much by Diego Luna. It's one of the songs featured in the 2014 Fox Animation film, The Book of Life. I hold no ownership of said song, it's the sole property of the aforementioned musician and film; so...please, don't sue me.

More to the point, I've listened to the song several times over and felt it would be perfect for Luna and Sam to sing; especially as a duet)

(Fourth AN: In the flashback scene, the High School gym teacher/coach refers to George's character as Sullivan. This is _my _way of adhering to the show's canon, albeit in a small way. When I first learned of Sully's real name, I always believed Sully was a nickname version of his last name; kind of like how it was for James P. Sullivan from Monsters Inc.

Long story short; for my fanfiction's universe, the character will be addressed by both names. But it will mostly be a once in a blue moon thing, as they call it)

(Fifth AN: The piece of advice Lincoln used for Luna is a reference to what Lori once "shared" with _him_ back in the episode "Save the Date." Only _this time, _it was used the right way)

(Last AN: I hope I depicted Luna and Sam's make up scene in a believable way. Of all the oneshots of done for this anthology, this Valentine's one has been one of my most passionate pieces; next to Schooling and Rascally Rennies. More to the point; because of their falling out in the OG Gal Pals story, I wanted Luna to truly earn back Sam's love.

I just hope I made the whole thing believable for some of you)


	26. A Love Labor Lost - Part Three

A Love Labor Lost with the Gal Pals – Part Three

(Story Summary: Lincoln and Luna make their return back to the house, after their mission proved successful. But while Luna is overjoyed in the fact that _her _Valentine's Day turned out well; Lincoln, on the other hand doesn't feel quite so lucky. With the day now half over and so little time to make or buy a gift for the Gal Pals, he feels as though he's failed.

Will yet another piece of advice from his sister, Lori be enough to help brighten Lincoln's day and help him out?)

Hours later, back at the Loud House; Lori and Bobby were still at home, enjoying their time with the Loud Family in the living room. Speaking of which, several of the other Loud Sisters had returned home earlier on and wasted no time in telling their parents in what they've been doing. The most interesting tale was that of Lynn Jr., who was simply glowing with joy.

"I'm so happy for you, Sis" Lori said warmly, "it's literally heartwarming to hear that Francisco decided to give you another chance." Upon saying this, she immediately compared Lynn's situation to that of hers and Bobby's; which actually wasn't really that much of a stretch. "Just promise us one thing, honey" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "try to do your best not to lose him again, third chances are always rare; especially where love is concerned."

In response to this, not only did Lynn Jr. give the "cross my heart gesture;" she also puffed out her chest slightly with determination, showing just a little of her classic spunk. "It sounds like everyone here had a wonderful Valentine's Day" Rita sighed happily, "except...I wish Luna and your brother were here to share this moment with us."

While cradling Lily tenderly in her arms, Lori said that she was in no rush to meet and greet everyone. "Besides, Luna's probably still busy with...you know what" she said while adding a sly wink, "all we can do now is hope and pray everything goes alright before they..." Just as Lori was about to finish her sentence, Charles suddenly started barking loudly and rushed towards the door.

Of course, everyone came to the same conclusion and assumed he needed to either go for a walk or to be let out into the yard. But Lana quickly pointed out that she'd already taken him for a walk an hour ago. "That must mean somebody's outside" Lisa stated, "though, their identity is currently a mystery...obviously."

Feeling curious, Lily looked over Lori's shoulder and out the window. That was when she spotted another van parked in the driveway. At the same time, she also saw Luna and Lincoln coming out of it; which caused her to giggle excitedly.

When the rest of the family caught sight of the duo approaching; they, too became quite anxious to see them. Before long, the front door open and Luna was the first to enter; greeting the family with her famous "Goat Horns" salute. But right away, they immediately sensed that it lacked the usually oomph and spirit that Luna usually exhibited.

"OMG...I sense some bad mojo afoot" Lori murmured, "I'm guessing that your plan was literally a bust." In the blink of an eye, Luna's earlier gloom immediately gave way to joy and she wasted no time in giving Lori the biggest hug ever. "No way, Brah; it went awesomely" she said with unbridled joy, "not only did my song...or rather, _Sam's _song got her attention but we're officially a couple again!"

In response to this, not only did the Loud Sisters squeal with joy (including Lucy...surprisingly.) But Lynn Sr. and Rita were immediately overcome with tears of joy and started sobbing happily in each other's arms. "I'm...I'm really happy things worked out for you, Luna" Bobby said happily, "but if _that's _not the reason you look so sad, what is?"

Without missing a beat, the family's resident rock star sighed and gestured for Lincoln to step forward. "It's my bro, dude" Luna murmured, "he spent so much time helping me with _my _Valentine's problems...that he didn't have time to fix his own." Now, this statement created a bit of a...mixed response from everyone.

The parents and half of the Loud Sisters were quite distressed by this dilemma, which felt natural. But one or two of them felt relatively confused by what Luna had said. "Wait, back it up a little here" Bobby interjected, "Linc doesn't have a girlfriend, right...so, why would he be stressing out?" While this question wasn't spoken out of spite, bitterness or sarcasm; Lori still lightly scolded her boo for asking it.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Bobby on this" Lisa said suddenly, "I truly love you, dear Brother...but only those who have a significant other or dislike being single would feel so vexed by this holiday." Now, just as Lori did earlier; Rita was prepared to scold the wee genius for her words...until Lincoln suddenly stopped her. "You're right, I don't have a girlfriend to share Valentine's Day with" he said matter-of-factly, "but that doesn't mean that I don't have someone I care about...even if they're just my friends!"

The instant he said this, Lori finally understood the real issue and gasped in surprise. "I see...This is about your Gal Pals, isn't it" she asked, "you wanted to think of something special for them, even if it's not romantic." Without pause, Lincoln nodded slightly in response; explaining how he spent so much time trying to help Luna that he didn't have a chance to think of ideas to help _himself._

"I know, I know it all sounds selfish and I'm sorry" he grumbled, "but...I just don't know what to do and the holiday's almost over." After saying all this, Lincoln felt as though he was on the verge of a panic attack. Upon seeing this, Luna rubbed his back soothingly and urged him to breathe; while also offering to finish the story for him.

"Anywho...long story short; the only reason my V-Day situation turned out so well was because of some advice _you _once gave Lincoln, Lori" Luna stated, "remember...'actions speak louder than words?'" While this reveal didn't really upset them, just yet; Lynn and Rita were still quite eager to hear the meaning this advice of Lori's. "It has something to do with Linc and my sister, Ronnie Anne" Bobby said suddenly, "after she pranked him and drove Lincoln to say something that made her cry, I broke up with Lori and she...kinda forced him to go on a double date with me and Ronnie Anne."

Both Loud Parents nodded slightly in silence; having already heard about this story in the courtroom, last year...they knew quite a bit about the situation in question. "At first, Lincoln thought about just texting an apology to Ronnie Anne" Lori explained, "but I told him...I told him that wasn't enough, that she had to _see him _be nice to her." With this simple statement, the Loud Parents felt like they've heard all that they needed and gestured for Lori to stop.

Afterwards, they called Lincoln over and each gave Lincoln a loving hug; which managed to help settle his mood a little. "To an extent, honey; your sister is right" Rita stated, "sometimes...actions _do _speak louder than words can." Upon hearing this, Lincoln came close to questioning his mother's words, until Lynn Sr. urged him to let her finish.

"But truthfully, you don't need to do anything really big or buy something flashy for your friends on Valentine's Day" Rita stated, "just tell them you love them in the best and most meaningful way you know." After letting his mother's words sink in for a bit, Lincoln found himself at a bit of an emotional quandary. Not only did he find himself mentally contradicting his mother's words, in spite of the ring of truth they carried; he, once again felt a sense of déjà vu rush through him.

This time, Lincoln thought back to Christmas; where he was in a situation near similar to the one he faced now. This time, however; he wasn't wearing a dumb elf costume. More to the point, Lincoln recalled how a simple act of love was more meaningful than any gift.

But while this _was_ true, Lincoln still felt it wasn't enough. "Yeah...I _wish _things could be that easy" he grumbled while sitting down on the armchair, "but Mom...just _saying_ something to the Gals just feels so small, compared to everything _they've _done for me." Feeling mildly shocked by her brother's words, Lori proceeded to ask if he still cared about the girls.

"No disrespect meant, Lori...but what kind of _stupid _is that" Lincoln said bluntly, "of course I love the Gals...I adore each and every one of them with all my heart." With this statement, the boy soon went on a passionate soliloquy about how much he cared for each member of his friend group. "I love how adventurous and fun life can be when I'm with ladies like Jordan, Stella, Paige and Kat" he stated, "I love Cristina for her unyielding sweetness, I love Cici's playfully tough demeanor, I love how I can feel more like myself when I'm with Paige, I adore Phoebe's ability to find beauty anywhere around her, I love Haiku's hauntingly charming personality, her passion for poetry and individualism...and since the day we've all met, I love Carol and her crew like the sisters I never had."

In addition to the names he just referenced, Lincoln also included those of "honorary members" of their group; like Ronnie Anne, Carlota, Sid...even his godmothers (Officer Higgins, Simmons and Campos) and their daughters. Much to his surprise, the family was incredibly moved by Lincoln's words and did their best to keep themselves together. "Wow, Linky...t-that was (sniffle) that was beautiful" Leni murmured happily, "and it's the best kind of thing your lady friends could _ever_ want for a Valentine's Day gift or gesture."

A split-second later, the rest of the family sounded off in agreement...after they dried away their tears, of course. Meanwhile; Lincoln, even after hearing his family's affirmations, still felt that his words alone weren't enough of a loving gesture. "Yeah, like _that _could actually work" Lincoln grumbled sarcastically, "I'm supposed to just..._tell _the Gals how wonderful they are, that they've made every day of my life since we became friends/family so meaningful because of their love and support...I'm supposed to _tell_ the ladies I love them all more than life itself, of course I do...more than anything but I don't have anything to _show_ that."

At first, Lincoln expected either one of his sisters or his parents to make a retort. But what he saw instead was Bobby, Lori and Leni "playing" with their phones. He also saw his parents doing the same thing, which made Lincoln feel even more confused.

"Okay, everybody; I think I got all that" chuckled the eldest Loud Sister, "so...should we post this online first or e-mail it?" Without a second thought, Leni suggested the idea of doing them _both_ at once; which the others happily agreed to. The whole time they did all this, Lincoln simply stared at them with a wide-eyed look of shock and irritation.

"What the...you're all texting at a time like _this_" he cried in disbelief, "weren't you listening to _anything _I just said?!" After she had finished typing away on _her _phone, Lori took a knee before her brother and smiled at him. "Of course we did, Silly Billy" she said with a giggle, "we were just making a bit of a recording of your speech...which we _then_ decided to share with the Gals _and_ post online."

Upon hearing these words, Lincoln's jaw dropped so low it almost struck the floor. Then, he suddenly heard his cellphone chiming, which led him to believe he might've been getting a call. What he found instead was a notification from his Social Media page...or rather, _several _notifications.

After accessing his profile, he looked up everyone else's pages and took notice of everyone's feedback on the video. When he went back to his own page and took a glance down at the comment wall; Lincoln was surprised to see the amount of happy crying emojis, heart icons, lipstick kiss emojis and comments that were posted. Among them were messages like "tell it like it is," "preach it" or "that hit me in the feels, bro."

He also noticed a collection of comments that were posted by his Guy Squad friends. Many of them said things like "that was beautiful," "you're a good dude" and those like Kaito and Elliot were even asking him for _advice_ on the best kind of sweet talk. But what really got his attention were some of the messages left by the Gal Pals.

Jordan: "Lincoln...what you said was just about the sweetest thing ever! Thank you so much!

Kat: "Aww...now look what you made me do, ya goofball; your sappy talk is making me shed tears on my keyboard. I've got a bear hug with your name on it to get you back for that, next time I see ya."

Paige: "Lincoln, that was the most beautifully sappy thing I've ever heard you say...and I loved it. But not as much as I love _you_, though

Ellie: Lincoln, honey; if you was any sweeter...I'd get cavities every time I smiled at you.

Dolores: _Te Amo Tambien,_ Lincoln..._Te Amo Tambien._

Phoebe: "Dude...I wish I could reach my hands through this screen and hug you right now, that video was so sweet!"

Cici: "Aww! Love ya, too; bud"

Cristina: "Lincoln...this is the sweetest thing I've ever heard anyone say. You really are a good guy and I'm glad we became friends again. Happy Valentine's Day; Love, Cristina"

Haiku: "Normally, I don't express my emotions openly towards others. But..."

Just when Lincoln thought the message had ended abruptly, he looked underneath it and spotted an image of Haiku; smiling softly with waterfalls of joyful tears flowing down her cheeks. What followed were the words "Happy Valentine's Day from Haiku" and then, Lincoln spotted a small midnight blue heart icon after the message. Of course, _these _comments were only from his Gal Pals friends.

The rest of them were from other guys and girls in his grade; many of the latter comments were...quite saucy, to say the least. Then, at that moment; Lynn heard _his_ phone going off and he saw that it was a group call from the "Babes in Blue" (as the Gal Pals decided to call them.) Upon answering, Lynn was about to greet the officers with the traditional Valentine's blessing but Simmons quickly stopped him.

"We can talk about that later, Lynn" she said abruptly, "but right now...just...just lemme see Lincoln for a minute." Not needing to be told twice, Lynn Sr. answered her request and turned his phone towards Lincoln. When everyone got a look at Officer Simmons, her cheeks were saturated with joyful tears and she did her best to clean them with a tissue.

"Baby...Tonya showed us your video and...aw, dang it; I love ya too" the officer laughed happily, "the next time I see ya; I'm gonna hug you so hard, I don't plan on lettin' you go for a _long_ time! HA-HA-HA!" Not long after she said this; Tonya popped into the video along with her second mother, Donna. "Now, I see why my girls like ya so much, kid" the biker babe commented, "you know how to tell it like it is...I like that."

Tonya nodded in agreement and not only wished Lincoln a Happy Valentine's Day, she also thanked him for being such a good friend. "Think nothing of it, T" Lincoln said shyly, "I'm just...being me in the best way I can." No sooner had he said this, Officer Higgins's face appeared in another chat window and she started blowing kisses straight at Lincoln.

"Sugar...you are one of the good ones, I swear" she chuckled happily, "don't you _dare_ lose sight of that part of you...or my baby girl will let me know." No sooner had she said all this, Ellie popped up from behind her mother and kissed the camera lens. "That was for you, lil' man" she cooed sweetly, "Happy Valentine's Day.

After that, yet another video chat screen appeared; revealing the face of Officer Campos. "In my family, we have a saying for people who speak so kindly to us" she murmured while wiping some tears away, _"'__incluso después del día en que morimos; nuestro vínculo de amor y amistad será eterno.'__"_ As expected, neither Lincoln nor anyone else in the family knew what she said; even Lisa (which was surprising.)

As if sensing this; Bobby, being bilingual himself (thanks to being around his extended family,) volunteered to offer up a translation. "What she said was...'even after the day we die, our bonds of love and friendship shall remain everlasting'" he said eloquently, "in short; she's saying she'll always love you too, Lincoln...even after the day she passes on." After taking this translation to heart, Lincoln looked at his two godmothers on the phone screen and gave them a heart hand gesture.

"You just keep doin' what you're doin', honey and keep that nose of yours clean" Simmons stated, "that's as great of a gift anyone can give me." The instant she said this, Donna shoved her from behind and asked how much _her _gift measured up in her eyes. "C'mon, honey; you know what I mean" Simmons giggled, "gotta go, Linc; have a good one."

After that, Tonya and Officer Campos extended the same best wishes; before the line went disconnected. After that, Bobby suddenly got a call on _his _phone and saw that it was from someone back at the building. When he answered, the screen revealed the face of Ronnie Anne; whose cheeks looked as bright as stoplights.

"Nice work, lame-o" she murmured in mild annoyance, "thanks to your little speech in that video, my family's been going nuts!" Upon saying this; she moved the phone behind her to reveal her mother, _Abuela_, _Tia_ Frieda and Carlota crying on the sofa. At first, Lincoln thought he said something wrong about them in his statement earlier.

But Carlota managed to calm herself down enough to speak to him directly. "Dude...it's okay, we're fine" she assured, "your message was just so sweet...even Ronnie Anne cried a little." Eventually, the three elder females caught sight of who Carlota was speaking to and proceeded to wave happily at Lincoln; who answered back with a shy wave of his own.

"As for the tears...well, you know how emotional my mom gets" Carlota giggled, "_Tia_ Maria and _Abuela_, on the other hand...it was the speech as a whole that did it." In time, Mrs. Santiago became calm enough to speak with Lincoln directly; expressing her deepest thanks for his kind words. "You are a good boy, Lincoln" Rosa stated fondly, "don't you ever forget that..._comprende?_"

With a soft smile on his face, the young Loud boy nodded slightly and vowed to never stop being himself. All that remained was to hear Ronnie Anne's feelings about his message...but she appeared stone-faced as ever. "Look, dude; don't expect the same level of sappiness from me...okay" she murmured, "I mean...just because the message reminded me of how much I missed your goofy optimism, it doesn't mean I don't still think you're a dork!"

Rather than be offended by her statement, like Louds and Casagrande Families expected; Lincoln simply gave a loud laugh and said "I miss you too, ya doofus." After that, the two of them placed their hands upon their phone screens and smiled softly at one another. Everyone took this gesture as their way of saying "I miss you" and "hope to see you again soon."

Now, it seemed as though that was the last of the responses to Lincoln's Valentine speech. But then, everyone suddenly realized that he had yet to see or hear back from one other source...or _four _other sources, as it were. No sooner had they thought all this, there came a sudden knocking from outside the front door.

"Hang tight, everybody" Lincoln stated, "I'll get the door this time." After receiving some thanks for this gesture, he made a beeline for the door and pulled it open. The next thing Lincoln knew, he was plucked off the ground and crushed by a pair of long arms; ones that belonged to a familiar blonde teenager.

Not long after that, whatever air that may have been left in Lincoln's lungs was suddenly squeezed out of him by three other young ladies. At first, when they caught sight of what was happening; the Loud Sisters found the scene to be rather humorous. But when they saw their brother's face turning blue, Lori politely urged for her besties to give him some air...after fighting back a few giggles.

"Oh, yeah...sorry about that, Linky" Carol murmured sheepishly, "it's just...I just checked out your video after I got an e-mail notification and...it was just so beautiful!" Not long after this, the other Gals sounded off in agreement with their "leader;" all while showering Lincoln with affection. "Wow...thanks, ladies" he muttered bashfully, "did you all really like what I said?"

Without hesitation, Dana planted a big kiss on Lincoln's cheek and proclaimed that they absolutely loved his speech...but not as much as they loved _him _specifically. "Seriously, dude; after playing over the video twice...we came right over just to tell you how much we appreciated it" Becky said while ruffling Lincoln's hair, "we even paused our own Valentine's Day date plans to do it."

To say that Lincoln was surprised that each of the teens were each on a date with someone would be a gross understatement. But before he could say anything, Carol kissed his forehead and proclaimed that it was no trouble coming to see her second favorite guy in the world. "Wait...second favorite" Lincoln exclaimed in confusion, "not to sound jealous or anything but...who's the _first?_"

In response to this inquiry, there suddenly came a loud honking from the curb; which almost made everyone jump out of their skins. When they looked outside, the family could see a pair of cars seated outside. They spotted a pair of teenage boys as well, one standing beside each car.

One was a slim young man with gray hair wearing a cherry jacket, a white shirt underneath it, grey pants, white shoes and black earrings. The other lad had a dark-tan skin tone, long brown hair, thick eyebrows and appeared to have early signs of a mustache over his top lip. He was dressed in a turquoise t-shirt that had white edges on the neck and sleeves, dark blue pants and white sandals.

When Lincoln saw the alien logo on the latter boy's shirt, he immediately wondered if he was as into aliens as Zach was. Meanwhile, after she took a moment to dry away her tears; Carol looked over her shoulder and called the boys over. Without hesitation, both boys made their way into the house and hugged their girls lovingly.

"We have someone very special we'd like you to meet, guys" Becky said warmly, "this is Lincoln, Lori's lil' Bro...you might remember him from the 'sophisticated party' she tried to put on a long time ago?" After taking a moment to search their brains for the memory in question, as well as study Lincoln intently, the two teens immediately recognized him and smiled. "Yeah, I remember this dude" the mustachioed teen chuckled, "but...should I call him Lincoln or Lincolnovich?"

This statement caused everyone to bust out in a light fit of laughter. Even Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at the little reference. "Seriously, though; nice to see ya again, dude" the teen stated, "but I gotta say...I'm a bit jealous." Not long after this, the grey-haired teen echoed the same statement; even going as far as to ask Lincoln if he intended to "steal his girl from him."

"Errol, don't tease Linky like that" Carol said in a playfully scolding tone, "that's _my _job." After everyone had a brief laugh at the Loud Boy's expense, the time came for him to meet the two "mystery teens." "Lincoln, this is my sweetheart; Errol" Carol cooed softly while squeezing her boyfriend's arm, "in some ways...he's a bit like _you._"

This revelation came as a surprise to not only Lincoln but his parents as well. When asked how he and Errol were alike, Carol wasted no time in listing his interests. "He's not only into enjoying great parties and seeing plays like you do" she began, "but...he's also crazy about ARRGH, Rip Hardcore _and _Ace Savvy!"

At first, Lincoln stared at his guardian with a dumbfounded look on his face; as if doubting her. But then, Errol pulled out his wallet and presented one of the cards he kept inside; a membership card to the Ace Savvy Fan Club. "I showed him the comic you made where me and the Gals were Alternate Universe versions of the Full House Gang, long ago" Carol explained, "and he _loved _the idea!"

Soon after she said this, Errol walked up to Lincoln and shook his hand happily in greeting. "Thanks for keeping my girl so happy, lil' dude" he said gratefully, "and...any chance I can snag an advance copy of the next Double Draw book, I've just got done finishing the part where they met the _La Familia Loteria_ hero group." With a bright smile on his face, Lincoln answered his request with one simple statement; "ring me up on the fansite chat room, we'll talk there."

After that, Becky had the floor and she introduced Lincoln to _her _boyfriend; Tad. "Nice to see ya again, lil' man" the teen greeted pleasantly, "Becky told me about the tricks you did for a school talent show...mind giving me a sample?" At first, Lincoln seemed to hesitate in accepting the request...but only because he was being playful.

Then, he gave a snap of his fingers and then; a _second _Lincoln suddenly appeared. "What do you think" he asked the double, "should we show our friends one of our new tricks?" While the Lincoln clone tapped his chin in thought, everyone else was staring at them in both confusion and amazement.

"I think this needs a second opinion" the clone stated, "give me a sec." After this, the clone snapped _its _fingers and a _third _Lincoln suddenly appear. "What'cha think, buddy" asked the second Lincoln, "should we show these dudes one of our tricks?"

In response to this, the third clone rolled its eyes and proclaimed "I think we just did." No sooner had he said this, the two doubles disappeared in a puff of smoke; leaving only the original behind. While his family and the Gals clapped wildly with joy, both Errol and Tad had difficulty in comprehending on what they'd just witnessed.

"Dude...how did you do all that" questioned the latter boy, "did you use one of your genius sister's science gizmos or something?" With a coy grin upon his face, Lincoln shook his head and responded with the traditional magician's creed; "a magician _never_ reveals his secrets." "But...if you really want to know, let's just say I learned a little something from a penpal of mine" he chuckled, "Carol or Becky may have told you about them."

Upon hearing the mention of a pen pal, the truth finally clicked for the boys; which also seemed to make them feel even more impressed. "You were right about him, hon" Errol chuckled happily to Carol, "he really is something else." The young blonde nodded in agreement and swiftly enveloped Lincoln into a warm embrace.

"I guess my mom was right" Lincoln murmured softly while Carol nuzzled his cheek, "saying I love you _is _as great as giving someone a present on Valentine's Day." While she didn't question nor doubt Mrs. Loud's words, both Carol _and _her crew proclaimed that he _did _give them a gift. "From the day we all met to all the things we did together, that...all of _that _was a gift in itself" Dana sniffled happily, "just having you in our lives, Linky...means more to us than a thousand bouquets of roses or a lifetime supply of Valentine's candy."

These words touched Lincoln deeply, to say the least. Soon after, he wasted no time and giving each of the teen girls the biggest hug he could muster. He also made certain to sneak a quick kiss on each of their cheeks as well, which Carol and Dana playfully counted as "naughty" behavior.

Of course, this prompted Errol into protesting the scene; claiming that Carol was trying to make him jealous. "Oh stop it, you silly" she said playfully, "there's room in my heart for _both _of you...and besides, you started getting along very well." Upon remembering his earlier talks with Lincoln mere moments ago, Errol chuckled heartily and ruffled Lincoln's hair.

"When my girl's right, she's right" he stated, "so, since we're buds now...I'm counting on you to keep Carol happy, if I'm not around; you think you can do that, Linc?" Without hesitation, Lincoln answered him with a series of...rather odd handshakes and high-fives; which he explained was how Ace Savvy fans often greeted each other.

"It was nice meeting you and your family, dude" Tad said while high-fiving Lincoln, "but...we've gotta amscray before we lose our dinner reservations." Carol and Becky gasped softly at this and quickly looked at their clocks, which revealed that the time was almost 5 PM. "Go on ahead, lovebirds" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "have fun and Carol...thanks for you and your friends popping by to say hello."

The four teen girls bowed their heads in response to Mr. Loud's thank you and were prepared to head back to the cars. But before they left, they shared one final group hug with their favorite boy. "Happy Valentine's Day, Linky...and thank you" Carol murmured sweetly, "we love you so much."

After wiping a stray tear from his eye, Lincoln repeated the words back to the ladies and hugged them back. "There's just one thing that puzzles me" he asked, "I get that you and Becky have dates, Carol...but what about Whitney and Dana?" Without pause, the two aforementioned teens smiled and said they didn't have any dates for V-Day.

"We're going with Carol and Becky as their wingmen...or rather, wing-women" Whitney stated, "plus, who'd want to pass up on a fun day of dinner and dancing?" With that said, the group said their final good-byes to Lincoln and went off on their way; while also shouting out one final "Happy Valentine's Day to the Loud Family.

As everyone watched the two cars disappear down the down the road; Lincoln couldn't help but sigh happily; feeling more sure of his friends' love than ever. "Guess all my fears were for nothing" Lincoln chuckled ironically to the viewer, "gift or no gift; as long as I perform a meaningful gesture for the people I care about...that's truly all that matters." Just as he was about to say his goodbyes to everyone "watching," he suddenly got an idea and got out his cellphone.

"Who are you callin' _now,_ Lil Bro" Luna asked, "got someone else to wish a Happy V-Day?" Lincoln winked at his elder sister with a smile and said he was planning on ringing up Clyde, wondering if _he _would like a wingman to come with him on his date with Chloe. "It's like Whitney said, being someone's wingman is a good way to meet people" he stated, "plus...he might need me, if he gets anxious around Chloe."

As if on cue, the phone screen suddenly turned on and everyone could hear the young couple's playful cry of _"we heard that, dude!"_

(First AN: And so, both the Valentine's Multi-Parter and the Winter Arc of this anthology ends; not with a bang or a whimper but with many joyful tears from all sides. Luna and Sam are back together, Lynn and Francisco have rekindled _their_ spark and Lincoln learned that the best gift you can give a woman is to simply show someone you love them; gift or no gift. What does the future hold for the upcoming Spring Arc?

Find out next time, as the adventures of Lincoln and his Gal Pals continues)

(Second AN: Some might look at this as a repeat scenario of what Lincoln faced in the Christmas multi-parter...and you're probably right. But here's the thing; whether you have one friend, a few friends or even a very special someone in your life...it can get difficult to find the right present for them, regardless of the occasion.

In Lincoln's case, he loves the Gal Pals all so dearly that he didn't want to risk disappointing them. I hope you'll understand where I'm coming from here)

(Third AN: On the note regarding the Gal Pals, both those stationed in Royal Woods _and _those living in Great Lakes City, I did my best to make sure Lincoln expressed how much each one of them meant to him in their own way. I hope I did well in that regard)

(Final AN: The characters of Errol and Tad are ones that have appeared before in past Loud House episodes. For Errol; such appearances include ARRGH You For Real, Party Down, Selfie Improvement and others. Tad has also appeared within Party Down and Selfie Improvement.

But he's made more solo appearances *by which, I mean without Errol beside him* in episodes like Mall of Duty, Shop Girl and Senior Moment. As for the bonding moment they shared with Lincoln, Errol is in fact a fan of some of the things Lincoln enjoys; like Ace Savvy, ARRGH and Rip Hardcore. For proof, you can check out his bio on the Loud House Wiki.

Meanwhile, Tad felt drawn to Lincoln by his unique tricks; both those he performed in Party Down and the ones he learned from Miss Grimwood *as referenced in Take the Stage.* Some people might look at this as me trying to "force" older kids to like a little dude like Lincoln. But much of my inspiration comes from the original show.

So, whatever other issues you might have with this bond; it's your own thing. Thank you, I just thought I'd get that off my chest)


	27. The Play's the Thing - Part One

The Play's the Thing with the Gal Pals – Part One

(Story Summary: In Part One of the premiere oneshot for the Spring Arc; nearly all of Royal Woods Middle School has been bitten by the Acting Bug, as sign up day for the school play arrives. This year; the school plans on performing one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream. A lot of students are hoping to land a good role, including Lincoln.

Will he get the part and if he does, will he be able to master his lines before opening night?)

It was a chilly February afternoon at Royal Woods Middle School and many of the students had been dismissed and went off for home. At the same time, outside the doors of the auditorium; there was a long line-up of other students standing single file. Among them were Lincoln, Clyde and a few of their girl and guy friends; who all appeared to be rather excited about something.

But...I'm afraid we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. To truly understand what's going on, we will need to turn back the clock to earlier this week. It was Lunch Period and the students were busy eating, chatting with friends and/or catching up on schoolwork. As for Lincoln and Company; they were at their lunch table, bartering parts of their lunch with one another.

"Okay, y'all; how's _this_ idea sound" Omar asked slyly, "a cup's worth of my Mama Jenny's homemade gumbo for _two _of _your_ homemade Oatmeal and Butterscotch cookies?" Across the table, Clyde reluctantly denied his friend's offer; while assuring he meant no disrespect to his police officer mother. "Spicy food doesn't always agree with me" he murmured while rubbing his belly, "but I _am _willing to exchange two cookies for one of your mom's beignets."

This news caused a few of the Gal Pals sitting with them to grumble with disapproval, who appeared quite eager to try either one of the boys' desserts. "Hold up...I'd like to make a counter offer" Cici interjected suddenly, "I have in my lunchbox some fresh homemade dumplings my mom packed for me...and I'll happily exchange _one _for the two cookies Omar had his eyes on, Clyde." Naturally, the others believed their friend's offer seemed rather small and quickly called her out on it.

"Seriously, C..._one _dumpling for a pair of Clyde's amazing cookies" Stella exclaimed, "we'd thought you'd go big or go home here." As if expecting their doubt, Cici took out a small container from her lunchbox. Upon looking at it, everyone could see that the inside of said container was heavily fogged up with condensation; which meant that the dumplings were still quite hot.

With a coy grin on her face, Cici opened the lid ever so slightly; allowing a small wisp of steam to escape through the crack. As she fanned the steam towards Clyde's nostrils; within seconds, he let out a long and blissful sigh of delight. "If you think it smells good, just wait until you've _tasted_ it" Cici chuckled, "so...do we have a deal?"

Without a second thought; Clyde whipped out his Ziploc bag full of cookies, opened it and handed two cookies over to his friend. Meanwhile, everyone else felt that they had been jipped out of a good score. But then, Omar turned towards Lincoln; whom he believed could offer up an equally delicious trade.

"Well...it's not much, I'll admit" the boy said deviously, "but I have with me a baggie full of my dad's Jalapeño Poppers and I'd be willing to trade a couple...if anyone can provide an equally tasty item in exchange." Now, almost everyone at the table playfully called "shenanigans" to Lincoln; proclaiming that he was being as unfair as Cici was a moment ago. This was, of course due to them knowing just how delicious his father's Poppers were.

That was when Dolores threw her hat into the ring and offered up a much sweeter trade (both figuratively and literally speaking.) "I imagine you had your fair share of churros, in the past; _Si_" she asked playfully, "well...how does _this _sound to you?!" With that, she reached into her lunch bag and pulled out a baggie of what looked like a collection of run of the mill nachos; which left everyone unimpressed.

"I know what you're all thinking...but trust me, these are special" Dolores urged, "these are Churro Chips, my _Papi_ made these himself from scratch; as they say." For a few brief moments, neither the Gals nor the Guys knew how to respond. Sure, they've all had churros before but they never once ever conceived the idea of chip-shaped churros.

Thus, Lincoln came dangerously close to agreeing with his Godsister's deal. But then, at the last moment; he requested to taste a fragment of one of the chips. "Of course, Lincoln" Dolores replied, "but I must warn you...the flavor may come as a shock to you." With that said, she broke off a piece from one of her chips and placed it in Lincoln's hand.

The instant he popped the chip piece into his mouth, Lincoln suddenly felt an explosion of flavor flow through him. Within seconds, a squiggly-line grin appeared on his face before he fell back off his seat with a blissful squeal. Worried that their friend might've hurt himself, everyone rushed to Lincoln's side to see if he was okay.

Then, almost a split-second later; the boy leapt into the air and cheered with joy. "Wow, that was delicious" Lincoln exclaimed with joy, "Dolores, I think we've got ourselves a trade...on one condition." As if expecting this, she gave him a knowing look and asked what else he sought out from her lunch.

But Lincoln quickly put Dolores' concerns to rest, proclaiming that he was willing to share as many of his dad's Poppers with her; if...she was willing to divulge her father's Churro Chip recipe with him. "I have my suspicions that the rest of my family would love these too" Lincoln explained, "not to mention that my father would want to make some for the Dessert Menu at his restaurant." The instant he mentioned this, Dolores held up her hand and shook her head in refusal; surprising everyone.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, _mi amigo_" Dolores said firmly, "this recipe isn't mine to share, it's my _Papi's._" Upon hearing this, a wave of realization suddenly washed over Lincoln. Since Mr. Campos made the Churro Chips from scratch, it was doubtful that he would want someone else copying his recipe; much less a restaurant.

But just as the atmosphere was starting to feel grim; Dolores smiled softly, placed two of her chips into Lincoln's hand and exchanged them with two of Lynn Sr.'s Poppers. "I will talk with my father, after school" she said with a sweet grin, "he likes you...so, I'm sure he would make a small exception in sharing his recipes this _one_ time." Lincoln looked down at the chips in his hand, then at Dolores herself and smiled warmly; all while joyfully proclaiming his thanks.

"No thanks are necessary, Lincoln" she said while winking at him, "believe it or not...you aren't the first one to fall in love with my _Papi's_ treats." After everyone had a light laugh at this reveal and after everyone had made their trades, the time had come to finally eat. At the same time, each of the kids began chatting idly with one another; sharing small updates with each other's lives, some small bits of gossip or just complaining about how difficult their earlier classes were.

But then, at one point; Tonya announced that there was going to be an assembly happening after lunch period was dismissed. "My Mama told me so herself, when I was on my way here" she stated, "said it was gonna be held by Vice Principal Baskerville." With this news revealed, each one of the Gals and Guys at the table found themselves wondering what the assembly was going to be about.

"Maybe it's to discuss the faulty vending machines" Rusty grumbled, "those things keep eating my dollars and don't even give me the snack I asked for!" While this issue _did _seem quite annoying, if not serious; everyone agreed that faulty vending machines weren't something that Mx. Baskerville hold an assembly about. "Well, whatever it's about; I just hope none of us will end up feeling embarrassed in the end" Lincoln murmured, "if you know what I mean."

With that said, everyone resumed eating their meals; mentally praying that Lincoln's fears wouldn't come to pass during the assembly.

(Line Break)

Time passed and students from every grade arrived in the auditorium. As everyone took their seats, they still felt curious as to what the assembly was all about. Then, at that moment; a figure burst out from behind the curtain.

Then, the students saw the spotlight turn on and shine down upon where the figure appeared. Much to their relief (and mild confusion,) it was only Mx. Baskerville; who appeared to be dressed in a sort 1920's era film director's outfit. "Okay, guys...this is getting weird" whispered Phoebe, "why is our VP dressed like that and does it apply with the assembly?"

The gang shrugged their shoulders slightly, in response; confessing that they felt just as confused as _she_ did. But before anything else could be said, Mx. Baskerville suddenly clapped their hands together; creating a light echo that immediately caught everyone's attention. After that, everyone fell silent and looked over at the stage.

"Thank you all for coming, dearies" the vice principal said in greeting, "perhaps you're wondering why we've summoned you all here." In response to this, all the students murmured softly in agreement; many of whom were mainly questioning the reason for Mx. Baskerville's new outfit. With a broad smile upon their lips, they suddenly announced that a new "change" that would be happening to the school; as of that moment.

"From here on out, we will no longer be _just _your Vice Principal" Mx. Baskerville stated, "we shall also be serving as your new Drama Teacher!" Then, after they've said this; Mx. Baskerville snapped their fingers and the curtains were suddenly pulled back. It was here that everyone could see a painted backdrop of some kind, the sort of thing people would use for plays.

"As some of you may know, the time for the school's next play is right around the corner" Mx. Baskerville explained, "in honor of this occasion and our new position, we thought it would be a splendid idea to put on a performance based on one of our favorite plays!" Before anyone had the chance to ask, the vice principal tapped the tip of their parasol lightly on the stage. This caused something to suddenly unfurl over the stage backdrop behind Mx. Baskerville.

It was a large poster; one showing a quartet of humans dressed in togas, Ancient Greek architecture and a group of fairy creatures. At first, Mx. Baskerville was expecting a wave of uproarious applause at this reveal. But as they looked out into the audience; they only saw looks of boredom, confusion and impatience on the students' faces.

_"Hmm...Perhaps we weren't being clear enough with our reveal"_ Mx. Baskerville thought, _"we shall go straight to the point, then."_ Without delay, they explained that the school would be putting on a production of one of William Shakespeare's most well-known and most widely performed plays; A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Once upon a time, back when we attended college in Oxford; we once took part in a production of the play" they giggled, "it was a jolly lot of fun, truly."

After this brief nostalgia trip; Mx. Baskerville announced that after school, there would be auditions open to anyone who'd want to take part in the play. Now, this news created a bit of a mixed reaction from the students. Some like Jordan, Clyde, Kaito and even Haiku felt genuinely excited to be taking part in a Shakespeare play.

At the same time, these same students felt that something like Romeo & Juliet would've been a more "appropriate" choice, given how popular that particular play was. Meanwhile, others simply groaned loudly with dismay; proclaiming that doing a Shakespeare play would be "the lamest thing ever." "Ah, dang it; being in a play is dorky enough already" Chandler groaned, "but being in a _Shakespeare_ play makes it even worse!"

Not long after he said this, several other students voiced their own complaints about the play. Some thought the idea of wearing "frilly" tights would make them look like "dweebs," while others felt that the Shakespearean dialogue was both confusing and hilariously hammy. Unbeknownst to the students, Mx. Baskerville overheard these complaints and clicked their tongue in disappointment.

"We are sorry to hear you feel this way about our idea, dearies" Mx. Baskerville sighed lightly, "but for those of you who actually _might_ be interested in performing, return here after school is dismissed." As one final note, the vice principal urged the students to help advertise the play in whatever way they thought was best. "Tell your families, your neighbors and to those of you who are...'tech savvy,' spread the word through social media" they stated, "just make sure to inform as many people as you can."

With that said; Mx. Baskerville, once again lightly tapped the point of their parasol upon the stage and dismissed everyone from the assembly. As the students flocked back out into the halls, many began to grumble and groan amongst themselves about the play. "Well, there goes fifteen minutes of our lives we'll never get back" grumbled Vicky, "you won't catch _me _up on that stage making a doofus of myself."

Several students walking alongside her murmured in agreement, adding that someone would need to be a "theater dork" to actually _want _to be in a Shakespeare play. Among them was Lynn Jr.; who mentioned several past instances where her sister, Lisa would "drag" the family to see such shows. "I mean...all those 'thou's' and 'thee's' that the characters say on stage makes my head hurt" she grumbled softly, "why can't they all just speak plain English?"

This statement caused the students surrounding Lynn to chuckle softly with amusement, Vicky among them. Then, at that moment; Margo suddenly arrived at the scene and urged her bestie to give the play a chance. "For all you know, Lynn; someone like _me _might consider trying out for the play" she stated, "other students might want to as well; like Francisco, Lainey...or even your little brother."

Now, despite her now more chill and gentle disposition; there were a few rare instances where Lynn would exhibit...a sliver of her old personality. She might get a little too invested into a game of dodgeball at Gym class or feel tempted to thrash a bully who's ganging up on one of her friends...but in _this _case, Lynn just couldn't help but burst out laughing. She guffawed, chortled and even snorted so loudly; many students started slowly backing away from her in alarm.

When Lynn finally calmed down and swiped a tear away from her eye, she noticed that Margo was giving her a rather annoyed glare; coupled with crossed arms and a toe tap. "Wait...hold on, you were serious" she asked dumbfounded, "this isn't like...some kinda joke or something?" Feeling mildly bothered by her friend's words, Margo proceeded to ask if Lynn didn't believe she could act (albeit in a scolding tone.)

"No, no way; you've got me all wrong" the young jock assured, "I don't doubt that someone like you, Lainey or even Cisco could act...it's my brother that I have my doubts about." In that moment, Margo suddenly found herself at a crossroads. On one hand, she was familiar with Lincoln's...small skills in being a sort of entertainer type; especially after his performance at the talent show back in January.

But on the _other _hand, no one remembered ever seeing him perform on stage before; even for a small play in the younger grades. "From the look on your face, I can tell you sense what I'm talking about" Lynn said suddenly, "I just don't know if my brother has the stones to be up on stage...in front of the whole school doing this play." Once again, Margo found herself lightly agreeing with her bestie.

But in spite of this, she still urged her to keep an open mind; claiming that he might surprise everybody, in the end.

(Line Break)

As our story cuts back to the present, we rejoin Lincoln and his friends in line for tryouts. On the surface, he did his best to appear as calm and collected as possible. But it was all a façade meant to hide away the..."nervous-cited" feelings that were swirling about inside of him.

"I dunno, guys...I should probably just bail while I have a chance" Lincoln muttered, "what if I screw up while trying to say my lines?" After taking in a quick but deep breath from his inhaler, Clyde patted his back and reminded him he wasn't alone. "Seriously, dude most of us are just as nervous as you" Rusty interjected, "I mean...check Feebs out up near the head of the line."

Upon looking towards the distance, Lincoln spotted Phoebe not too far ahead of him; looking as nervous as a cat in a rainstorm. Her body was shivering, her knees buckled against each other and Lincoln swore that he could see the poor girl clapping her hands while repeatedly chanting "this is crazy...this is crazy" under her breath. _"What am I even doing here" _Phoebe thought to herself, _"I'm a photo student, not an actress...I don't belong on the stage!"_

As the teen dipped further down into her fears, Lincoln's heart suddenly ached for her. After all the time gals like Phoebe spent trying to help him keep _his _anxieties under control, he hated seeing any of _them_ face the same struggles. That being said, it gave him an idea of how to help his friend out.

Thinking quickly, Lincoln gave a whistle; which caught Phoebe's attention. When she looked over his way, the young shutterbug saw her guy friend performing some silent inhale/exhale gestures. It didn't take long for Phoebe to understand what he was trying to tell her and, after taking in some calming breaths, slowly started to feel more relaxed.

At that moment; Meryl, Principal Ramirez's assistant (and younger sister to Cheryl over at Royal Woods Elementary,) stepped through the auditorium doors and called for everyone's attention. "Okay, youngins; it's time to start the auditions" she announced, "remember; every one of y'all will enter in one at a time, remain waitin' in single file and most importantly, break a leg." Upon hearing these words, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle to himself softly.

"_I can only imagine what Leni would think, if_ she _heard that_" he thought to himself, _"she might actually think we needed to really break our legs on stage."_ As Lincoln stood in place, smiling softly; the students at the head of the line made their way inside the auditorium and onto the stage. Sitting out in the chairs were Meryl and Mx. Baskerville, who were quite anxious to see the students acting abilities.

However, as they would soon find out; the first few auditions were...sub-par, at best. The first was Artie, who sought out to land the role of Demetrius. But unfortunately, his delivery of the dialogue was both stiff and unemotional. "'I love the...uh, thee not" he murmured while gazing at his lines in confusion, "'therefore, pursue me not; where is Lysander and fair Hernia...uh, I mean...Hermia? The one I'll stay, the other shall...stay-eth me."

After reciting his lines, Artie let out a loud groan and asked if he could leave. "Uh...yes, young man; thank you for auditioning" Mx. Baskerville said hesitantly, "as you were." With that statement, the boy trudged his way off the stage; all while massaging his temples from the migraine he was feeling from heading the lines.

Next, Elliot came onto the stage; wishing to audition for the role of King Oberon. "A fine choice of character, young man" Mx. Baskerville said gleefully, "for this scene; you have confronted your queen, Titania and demand that she surrender the small child she has claimed as hers." As the VP/Drama Teacher spoke further, they explained that Oberon claimed that he wished to make the boy as his servant.

But in reality; he had become so jealous and spiteful of his queen's love for the babe, he would do anything to ruin her happiness. "WHOA! All due respect, Mx. B...but that sounds really messed up" Elliot stated, "are we sure this is a comedy?" With a soft smile upon their face, Mx. Baskerville assured the boy that everything would become in time.

After that, they turned stage right and called for those auditioning for Queen Titania to come forward. Among them was Paula, who was quite eager to branch out beyond her sports hobbies. Sadly...due to her cast and having to use crutches to get around, she was left unable to go up the steps to the stage.

However, not wishing to deny their students a chance to show their skills; Mx. Baskerville and Meryl allowed Paula to perform on the ground while Elliot remained on stage. With that settled, the time had come for their audition to begin. "Okay...here I go" Elliot said after taking in a breath, "remember, big guy...be like a king!"

As soon as this thought popped into his head, the teen suddenly found himself deep in the zone and he swiftly delivered his first line in the most stoic way possible; "'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.'" With that said, Mx. Baskerville gave Paula the signal to say _her _first line. But unfortunately, she had great difficulty doing so due to having to keep herself balanced while reading her lines.

After three attempts, Paula let out a disgruntled huff and proclaimed "just forget it...I don't know why I thought I could be in this thing anyway." Distressed by this behavior, Meryl made an immediate beeline for the girl and told her not to feel so discouraged. "Even if y'all can't be a character in the play, suge; you can still have a part in it" she assured, "would y'all feel more comfortable in the makeup department?"

Distressed yet still rather curious, Paula asked what someone like _her _could do in the makeup dept. "We've seen you on the sidelines at games before, poppet" Mx. Baskerville said with a warm smile, "the facepaint styles you give your friends to show your support for our teams is quite creative." The young teen smiled softly with a light blush on her cheeks before claiming nothing she did was quite _that _special.

"Au Contraire, dearie; it's just what we need" Mx. Baskerville insisted, "our faerie players need to _look _the part as much as they need to play it and this means giving them non-human skin-tones." Upon hearing this little detail, Paula suddenly found herself becoming evermore intrigued with the Vice Principal/Drama Teacher's idea. "I usually don't like being sidelined during big events, sports related or otherwise" she stated, "but...I might consider your offer, Mx. B."

Mx. Baskerville chuckled happily at the teen's response, shook her hand and sent her off on their way. "Speak to me later on, after auditions have concluded" they called out, "we shall talk more then. With that done, Mx. Baskerville took their seat back in the auditorium chairs and called the next student in line.

Not long after this, Rusty stepped in and proclaimed he was going to audition for the role of Nick Bottom (mostly because he liked the sound of the character's name.) "Very good, dear boy" said Mx. Baskerville, "now, remember; be calm, take your time and make us _believe _your performance." After this, all was quiet within the vastness of the room; save for one tiny sound that echoed on the stage...Rusty's knees buckling together.

"C'mon, dude...you can do this" he whispered to himself, "just think of all the babes you can get, if you land a good role in the play." Mere seconds later, a thought bubble appeared over his head; one that showed an image of him dressed as an actor from the renaissance era. He was up on the stage while the crowd roared with applause and roses rained down upon him.

However, the most "appealing" part of this fantasy (to Rusty, at least) was the droves of ladies squealing and cheering his name. Outside of the bubble, a goofy yet blissful grin slowly formed upon the real Rusty's face. But as he stood there daydreaming, Mx. Baskerville and Meryl stared at him in confusion; wondering if he was alright.

Meanwhile, at the same time; the other students waiting in line to audition were ranting and raving with impatience. "YO, SPOKES; WAKE UP" Chandler's voice called out from the line, "we're not getting any younger here!" Several other students then started shouting other outcries of impatience at Rusty, which made him feel rather nervous about going any further.

Upon taking notice of the scene before them, Mx. Baskerville and Meryl both gave a whistle; which was just shrill enough to get the other students' attention. "We're well aware of how anxious y'all are, everybody" Meryl said kindly, "but ya still gotta be patient and not rush others." After nodding in agreement at her words, Mx. Baskerville turned their attention towards Rusty and decided to share a few words with _him _next.

"We know you must be feeling nervous at the moment, dearie" they stated, "but do not focus on those thought or on the other students...or even the two of us; focus on the dialogue." From here, Mx. Baskerville suggested to Rusty to simply imagine that no one else is in the auditorium; only himself. At first, the boy felt confused by the advice; thinking that acting like no one was watching wouldn't work.

But then; he remembered that most people tended to sing, dance or even act out dialogue from a story best when they were on their own. Thus, after he took a quick peek at his lines; Rusty closed his eyes and started letting out a few calming breaths. Overtime, Rusty's mind became a lot calmer and he was now ready to perform.

"Okay now, Master Rusty; here is the scene" Mx. Baskerville stated, "you are working along with your colleagues Quince, Snug, Starveling, Flute and Snout have decided to put on a play to celebrate the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta." From here, they explained that Rusty (as Bottom) would be rehearsing one of the lines from said play with his colleagues. "You think y'all can do that, honey" questioned Meryl, "just deliver the one line the best way ya can for us."

Before starting, Rusty couldn't help but chuckle under his breath; thinking how weird it was to have a play within _another _play. But he quickly pushed that thought out of his head and immediately regained his focus. What followed next was so surprising that it left even the janitorial staff backstage speechless.

"'The raging rocks and shivering shocks shall break the locks of prison gates'" Rusty stated, "'and Phibbus' car shall shine from far and make and mar the foolish Fates.'" Though the line was short and brief, the young lad felt he poured a great deal of passion into his recitation. But deep down, he knew that _that_ verdict was up to Mx. Baskerville to decide.

Upon looking down at where they sat, both the vice principal and Meryl looked like a pair of deer caught in the headlights; which made Rusty feel rather uneasy. Then, a mere split-second later; the duo quickly exploded into a roaring applause. "Dear boy, that was wonderful" Mx. Baskerville exclaimed, "I think you might be well on your way to being our play's Nick Bottom."

As Rusty once again chuckled at the character's name, he could hear his friends cheering for him in the lineup. At the same time, he also saw several students snickering at him. "Nice one, Rusty" Mordecai said mockingly, "hope ya know what you're getting into later."

Feeling mildly confused by this statement, Rusty proceeded to ask for the meaning behind his comment. As if on cue, Meryl appeared and revealed what Bottom's role in the play would be like. What Rusty saw next filled his heart with a great sense of dread.

"Wait...hold on here" he exclaimed, "nobody told me that my character's head was going to be turned into a _donkey's!_" With this reveal, nearly all the students standing in line for auditions suddenly burst out into fits of hysterical laughter; save for Rusty's friends. After getting the students to calm down, once again; Mx. Baskerville explained that Rusty had no reason to fear.

"Yes, the idea of sporting a donkey's head may seem like...a bother" they said uneasily, "but there is a _positive _side to that particular scene." Rusty rolled his eyes slightly at this statement and asked what could possibly make such a "humiliating" moment in the play seem positive. "Haven't you read the play before, Rusty" Haiku called out from the line, "if you _had..._you would know that through the trickery of Puck, Queen Titania ends up briefly falling in love with Bottom; donkey head and all."

With this simple statement, all of Rusty's fears swiftly faded away. Soon after that, he looked over at all the ladies waiting in line to audition. Upon doing so, his mind started filling up with all possible ideas of who _he _thought would make the "perfect" Titania.

_"I wonder if Mollie will get picked or Dolores...or even one of the 8__th__ Grade girls from the cheer squad"_ he pondered giddily, _"I'm good with any one of them, to be honest."_ After being dismissed from the stage, Rusty watched as another student made their way up. Much to his surprise, the next student turned out to be Chandler and he announced he'd be trying out for the role of Demetrius.

But as the boy started speaking his lines, his delivery sounded (in theatrical terms) stiff or that it lacked emotion. "Good effort, dearie" Mx. Baskerville said kindly, "we shall see if it paid off for you, in the hours ahead." Despite the hesitant tone in the vice principal's voice, Chandler didn't appear that fazed by it.

In his mind, he believed the role was in the bag and everyone could sense it from the coy grin on his face. As expected, this behavior made a few of the students in line feel a tad annoyed; Lincoln and Co. among them. "Don't let him get to you, guys" Haiku murmured softly, "just focus on giving it your all, when _you _go up on the stage."

The Guys and Gals nodded in agreement and gave their Goth friend a thumb's up in gratitude. Then, Mx. Baskerville called for Clyde to come up on the stage. Unfortunately, the moment the spotlight shone down upon him; his anxieties suddenly kicked in.

Sweat started trickling down his forehead, his breathing became shallow, his hands were shaking and his nose started feeling stuffy; which Clyde took as a possible signal for a nosebleed coming. After taking in a quick huff from his inhaler, he desperately tried to calm himself however possible. "Okay, McBride...you can do this" he whispered, "just...just use that breathing technique Lincoln said his sister uses."

With this thought in mind, Clyde immediately performed the 4-7-8 Technique Lola once revealed (breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven and exhale for eight.) He did this three times over on the stage until, at last; his mind was as calm as the ocean. "You all good now; Clyde, sugar" asked Meryl, "y'all still wanna try out?"

Upon realizing what just happened, Clyde gave a soft "eep" of alarm and stood at attention. "Uh...G-G-Good afternoon Mx. Baskerville, Meryl" the boy said with a gracious bow, "I...I-I would like to audition for the role of Lysander." With a soft nod of the head, Mx. Baskerville smiled up at Clyde and beckoned for him to begin.

With that, he quickly took a look through his lines to find the right one he could use to show his skills. When he found it, Clyde sighed with relief and began his performance. But before he could start, Meryl came up with a wonderful idea for the audition.

"If y'all are auditionin' for Lysander, honey; you should have your lady beside ya as well" she stated, "could one of the students auditionin' for Hermia come up on stage please?" Upon hearing this, a familiar face quickly stepped forward; one that caused Clyde's earlier anxieties to almost come back into full swing. It was Chloe, his girlfriend since the near-end of 5th Grade and the only other woman who could make his heart pound (besides Lori and at one time, Stella.)

"Heya, sweetie" the young lady said sweetly in greeting, "didn't expect me to be trying out for the play, huh?" After he managed to get his nerves under control yet again, Clyde smiled and answered Chloe's inquiry with a nod. "Hope this won't make things too awkward between us, later on; Clyde" Chloe said suddenly, "you know, _if_ we end up getting these parts."

With as much courage he could muster, Clyde answered her concerns with a light shrug and proclaimed she had nothing to worry about. Of course, this scene was quickly disturbed by Mx. Baskerville; who was eager to get their audition started. With that, both teens took in a breath and began reciting their lines to each other.

Clyde as Lysander: "'How now, my love; why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there fade so fast?'"

Chloe as Hermia: "'Belike for want of rain, which I could well Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes.'"

Clyde as Lysander: "'Aye me, for aught that I could ever read, could ever hear by tale or history, the course of true love never did run smooth. But either it was different in blood-

Chloe as Hermia: "'Oh cross! Too high to be enthralled to low.

Clyde as Lysander: "'Or else be misgraffèd in respect of years'"

Soon after Clyde had said the final line, he suddenly discovered how close he was getting to Chloe and quickly backed away from her; just as she did so from him. At the same time, a deep blush suddenly appeared on their cheeks while they stood on stage giggling like bashfully timid fools. Before the duo could continue, Mx. Baskerville raised their hand and began clapping them both with great fervor.

"YES! YES! That's exactly what we are looking for" they cheered loudly, "I can truly feel your passion for each other...that was lovely, dearies." These words caused Chloe and Clyde to suddenly blush even deeper than they did earlier. But despite their shyness, they still did the respectable thing and thanked their teachers for letting them try out.

(Line Break)

Some time passed and the line of auditionees had grown much smaller. Now, only a handful of people remained waiting to go up on stage. Among them was Lincoln; who, despite feeling anxious about the whole thing moments before, was now as nervous as a sinner in church.

Upon sensing his fear, Lincoln gave himself a quick slap in the face and shook his head. "Pull it together, Loud" he murmured, "it's almost time...just get your head back in the game, you can do this!" After slapping the fear out of him for a few more seconds, Lincoln was finally calm enough to regain his focus.

Of course, he mainly chose to stop due to his cheeks flaring a painful red from his repeated slaps. As Lincoln stood there rubbing his face, he looked to the stage and saw that Phoebe was the next to test her mettle. But he couldn't help but notice how nervous she looked while under the spotlight.

After breathing shakily for almost half a minute, she was finally calm enough to begin her performance. "Now, then Miss Snapper; let me set the scene for you" Mx. Baskerville explained, "you have awoken from your rest and, thanks to Puck's trickery, have soon fallen in love with Bottom; whose head is now that of an ass." Once that was said; Meryl encouraged Phoebe to take her time, keep calm and give it all she had.

For a moment or two, all was as silent as the grave and everyone could see the young teen quivering slightly on the stage. Upon sensing the anxieties inside of her, Phoebe shook her head and put on her best game face. _"C'mon, Feebs; you can do this"_ she thought to herself, _"if you can go into creepy places like caves, the forests near the Scratchy Bottom campgrounds or even the Men's of that old Hazeltucky gas station for pictures...this should be a breeze for ya!"_

With this thought in mind and after taking in a few calming breaths, Phoebe was now ready to begin. She dusted herself off slightly, took a look at her lines and put on her best game face. What happened next left everyone even more speechless than they were with Rusty's performance earlier.

As Phoebe began to recite her lines; she spoke with such passion and refinement in her voice that many students couldn't help but feel awestruck, even Rusty. "'Ah! I pray thee, gentle mortal; sing again'" she said in a pleading tone, "'mine ear is much enamored of thy note." For almost half a minute, everyone stood there; gawking in awe at Phoebe as she recited her lines.

As she drew closer to the end of her piece in the script, her voice suddenly shifted into a sort of longing tone; as if she truly desired Bottom. "'And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me'" she said dramatically, "'on the first view to say, to swear...I love thee.'" Though the line was only a brief one; once she had finished it, poor Phoebe heaved out a deep sigh like she had just finished a marathon.

As she stood there trying to catch her breath, she suddenly noticed that every eye in the room was focused squarely on her. At first, the poor girl thought she messed up her line and believed they were staring out of disgust. But then, much to her surprise; the faint sounds of one student clapping could be heard.

Phoebe shook her head slightly, looked towards the seats and saw that it was Haiku clapping slowly. She also noticed that the wee Goth girl seemed to be shedding tears of joy from her one visible eye as well. After that, two more students started applauding along with her in unison; then, several more started clapping as well.

Overtime, the tempo of this "slow clap" (as some students often called it) slowly began to build up in speed. Then, Meryl and Mx. Baskerville joined in with them until finally; the clapping changed over to loud cheers of applause. "Brilliant, Ms. Snapper...simply brilliant" the vice principal/drama teacher cried with joy, "the way you delivered your lines with such passion was so...raw and...powerful!"

Upon taking a moment to collect themselves, Mx. Baskerville immediately declared Phoebe to be his choice for the role of Queen Titania. Needless to say, it left the young lady in question...quite surprised. So much so that once her mind was finally able to process what just happened, she fainted right on stage from shock.

Naturally, this came as a shock to her friends and they asked if Phoebe was alright. Thinking quickly; Meryl hurried up onto the stage, took hold of the teen's wrist and checked for a pulse. The instant she felt a light bump between her fingers, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's okay, y'all...she's just fine" Meryl assured, "this lil' lady just had a faintin' spell is all." After this was said, she and one of the other students helped move Phoebe aside to a nearby chair; where they chose to leave her until the end of the auditions. "Just give her some time to rest, dearies; she will be fine" Mx. Baskerville assured, "for now, let us finish with the auditions."

With that said, they gave a wave towards the students in line and asked for Lincoln to come forward; who looked to be leaking more fluids than a broken bucket. After he took a few seconds to breathe, the young Loud boy took hold of his script and presented himself on stage. "Well, Linc...here goes everything" he thought to himself, "I just hope I don't have a fainting spell of my own, in the end."

(First AN: As the auditions for the play draw to a close, what will happen next? Will Lincoln get a good part...will any of his friends get a good part? Tune in next time for Part 2, to find out)

(Second AN: As you can probably tell, Mx. Baskerville is my favorite OC character that I've made yet. After introducing them in Gender Bender, I've felt the desire to include them in future oneshots and having them be the acting Drama Teacher was the best way to do that; in my eyes, at least. I hope they're presence in Part One entertained you all enough, everybody)

(Third AN: I know that in the OG Loud House series, they already had one of the Loud Family Members *namely Luan* star in a Shakespeare play. But while I do love Romeo & Juliet, I feel that the other plays don't quite get as much love in media as they should; Midsummer Night's Dream being one of them. Thus, I thought it would be cool to have Loud House characters in the play.

But unlike in Stage Plight, we'll actually get to see Lincoln and the others perform on stage...when the time comes, at least)

(Fourth AN: The character of Meryl and her relation to Cheryl is a reference to the Season Five premiere special, Schooled. While I consider that special to be one of the show's worst installments *not quite as bad as No Such Luck but on the same levels of terrible as Kings of the Con,* Meryl's character was but one of...a small handful of things I enjoyed about it)

(Fifth AN: For those wondering about Chandler's character here; be assured, he's not an antagonist like Biff. At the moment, he's more of a..."frenemy" to Lincoln and his friends. For those wondering, the term "frenemy" describes someone whom you have a rivalry with...but still feel a friendly bond, in spite of it.

I hope that makes sense to you, everybody)

(Sixth AN: Ironically enough; the title of this oneshot three-parter, "The Play's the Thing" is based on a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Funny, I always thought it was something actors on Broadway or Hollywood said. But it truly fits for this story, when you think about it)

(Final AN: At first, I thought about making Dolores fill the role of Faerie Queen Titania; due to her charm and good looks. But then, I thought "I should go for someone no one would ever suspect having an actor's passion...like Phoebe." It's as the old saying goes, it's almost always the quiet ones.

Plus, much like with Mx. Baskerville; I wanted to give Feebs a bit more time to shine. But I'll let _you _guys be the judge and see if she'll measure up as queen)


End file.
